Fall Showcase
Don’t miss the chance to see our three CSA choirs perform! The CSA Fall Showcase will take place on Sunday, November 13 at 4:00 pm in Sauder Concert Hall.
Cost:
$8 adults, $6 students. Purple Passes may be used for immediate family members. GC faculty/staff free with ID.
This concert will be livestreamed! View the livestream here.
Our choirs have been working hard to prepare for the showcase! All three ensembles have had a fantastic start to the 2022-2023 season. Read more below for a glimpse into each choir’s progress this year.
Rejoice Children’s Choir
Director Kristin Kauffman has the following highlights to share about Rejoice this fall:
Rejoice Children’s Choir rehearses in Sauder Concert Hall.
“This year’s choir is especially passionate and creative. Singers will raise their hands and offer an idea about what they are picturing while they are singing or will offer suggested movements they think would work well with the music. It is common for this choir to break out into applause for themselves when they recognize they have mastered something difficult in our music, and I love to see this sense of pride in their accomplishments.
As we were working on a more challenging line in our music this semester, one singer helped the choir to identify that this line was really the same passage they had sung earlier in the piece… just higher. Another favorite Rejoice memory for me was when a Soprano pointed out how much more challenging it was to sing as the 2nd or 3 part in a round, and upon singing the 3rd part said that he “had a whole new respect” for the altos who often sang the 2nd or 3rd part in our warm up rounds.
Shout For Joy Singers
Director Sandy Hill shares the following reflections on Shout For Joy’s season this fall:
Shout for Joy is composed of 6-8th graders from around northern Indiana. We even have a couple singers coming from as far as Mishawaka this year! We have a total of 49 singers..one of the largest ever. It is so fun for me to see singers reunite with excitement at the first rehearsal… to see their faces light up when they sing in 3 and 4 part harmony and succeed at a hard rhythm or harmony in one of our songs. It is also fun having alumni Molly Hill, come and do movement with the choir!
This fall we are especially excited not only for our Fall showcase but preparing for and singing at Festival of Carols! The SFJ Singers love not only performing by themselves but also alongside the fantastic college choirs and orchestra…what a great musical experience for them during these formative years. They learn what it is to perform with discipline and dedication as they prepare to sing in multiple performances.
A definite highlight this fall was singing at First Fridays on Oct. 7 at The First United Methodist Church in downtown Goshen. What a beautiful historic church! It was filled with 250-300 people and we all enjoyed refreshments together afterwards! (see photo below)
Shout For Joy director Sandy Hill stands next to a sign advertising the choir’s performance at First Fridays in downtown Goshen.
Most of all I love watching the singers support each other, cultivate a positive learning environment and their willingness to help out…whether it be sharing a pencil, cheering on a singer as they audition for a solo or just offering a smile or a word of encouragement. I couldn’t do it without the support from the parents and my college assistant Ana Neufeld Weaver and our wonderful accompanist Matthew Hill.
Sommo Voci Choir
Sommo Voci choir rehearses in Sauder Concert Hall.
Director Kristin Kauffman shares this summary of Sommo Voci’s activities this fall:
We are excited to have a large high school ensemble of 50 members this year, full of talented, dedicated, and versatile musicians who not only sing but also play various instruments. They stay busy with their school music ensembles but make time for Sommo Voci each week since they have such a deep love for choral singing. Sommo Voci offers them an opportunity to make new friends and sing with other excellent musicians from throughout the county. A major highlight for this ensemble is the opportunity to perform in our world class Sauder Concert Hall and on occasion perform alongside the Goshen College Choirs.
In the past 2 years we have begun a tradition of inviting Dr. Scott Hochstetler to do a clinic with the choir each semester. This provides them an opportunity to hear feedback from another conductor and allows me to listen to the ensemble differently, informing some of my next steps in working with them. We are learning some challenging repertoire and are looking forward to trying some creative things at our upcoming showcase.