University Chorale, Celebration show choir, Tower Choir presenting concerts in April

Northwest Missouri State University vocal ensembles are giving three performances as the University concludes its 2023-24 academic year this month.

The University Chorale presents its spring concert – featuring extended works by American composers Jake Runestad and Timothy Hoekman – at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, in the Charles Johnson Theater at the Olive DeLuce Fine Arts Building.

Later in the week, the Celebration show choir presents its annual spring show – with a theme this year of “The 60s!” – at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 18, in the Mary Linn Auditorium at the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts.

Finally, the Tower Choir will perform as part of a Jubilee Concert to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 21, at the Adoration Chapel in Clyde, Missouri.

Dr. Adam Zrust conducts Northwest vocal ensembles and serves as an assistant professor of music. (Photo by Lauren Adams/Northwest Missouri State University)

All of the concerts are free and open to the public, although seating for the Jubilee Concert is limited. Seats for the April 21 concert may be reserved by calling 660.944.2221 or sending an email to sister@benedictinesisters.org.

“I’m just so excited to share this wonderful music with our community,” Dr. Adam Zrust, who conducts the vocal ensembles and serves as an assistant professor of music at Northwest, said. “I truly believe our upcoming concerts have something for everyone. The concert in the monastery chapel, in particular, will feature two extended works that will thrill and inspire.”

The Jubilee Concert will showcase several extended choral masterworks, including Benjamin Britten’s “Rejoice in the Lamb” and Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Little Organ Mass.” The concert also will feature Northwest students and faculty soloists, the Tower Brass, and guest organist Dr. Ling Lo from the University of North Dakota.

The 2023-24 Tower Choir (Photo by Todd Weddle/Northwest Missouri State University)

The Celebration show choir performs a variety of music styles and periods, including choreographed numbers, vocal jazz and ballads. (Photo by Todd Weddle/Northwest Missouri State University)

The Tower Choir is an audition-based choral ensemble that is consistently invited to state conferences, including this year’s Missouri Music Educators Association (MMEA) In-Service Workshop and Conference in January. The ensemble performs concerts at high schools, colleges, universities and churches as well as for institutions and organizations throughout the region.

The University Chorale is open to all students on campus as well as community members and presents one concert each semester. Its repertoire ranges from classical to gospel, and contemporary to Broadway. There is no audition requirement for membership in the University Chorale.

Celebration show choir is a select ensemble that performs music representing a variety of styles and periods, including choreographed numbers, vocal jazz and ballads. The spring show showcases popular songs and jazz standards as well as solos and ensembles spanning a variety of styles.

For more information about vocal ensembles at Northwest and the upcoming concerts, contact Zrust at azrust@nwmissouri.edu.