Following a performance in New York City that garnered a standing ovation, Marshall University’s Chamber Choir has returned home to present the same program at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 2, in Smith Recital Hall on the Huntington campus.
Under the direction of Dr. David Castleberry, the choir performed at New York’s historic Saint Bartholomew Church, a venue that has played host to some of the world’s greatest musicians and served as the setting for major motion pictures. During their visit, Marshall students attended Broadway shows and performances at the Metropolitan Opera, and toured many of the city’s best-known locations.
“When our students achieve success in one of our nation’s premier venues, they realize that they can compete successfully with students anywhere as budding artists and performers,” Castleberry said.
Marshall President Jerome Gilbert, Dr. Ron Area, CEO of the Marshall University Foundation, and Donald Van Horn, dean of the College of Arts and Media, attended the concert and a post-concert reception held at the church.
“This performance is a wonderful example of the kinds of experiences we make possible for our students,” said Van Horn.
During the past several years, students from the college have traveled to Italy, Spain, France, Scotland, Brazil and elsewhere, for study opportunities and life-changing experiences.
The upcoming concert in Huntington will be free and open to the public and will reprise the program the choir presented in New York, with selections ranging from renaissance music of Palestrina to contemporary works by composers such as Kim André Arnesen and Moses Hogan. The performance will feature Visiting Assistant Professor Alexander Lee in the tenor solo from Gabriel Fauré’s “Tantum Ergo.” The choir is accompanied by pianist Mark Smith.