Choir

Weary souls needing an extra push to the Christmas finish line received that welcome boost Monday night from “A Grand Canyon Christmas,” the Music Department’s annual holiday concert, at First Southern Baptist Church. GCU’s four choirs performed for nearly two hours in all, taking a 15-minute intermission before concluding with Vivaldi’s “Gloria,” which was sung in Latin by the Choral Union. Under the direction of Dr. Juan Hernandez (Choral Union, Canyon Chorale), Dr. Sheila Corley (Canyon Singers) and Gabe Salazar (New Life Singers), the choirs collectively hit the highest note for the music program since its return to campus in the fall of 2010.

George Frideric Handel’s 270-year-old “Messiah” met GCU’s 3-month-old Arena on Thursday night, and each was better for the experience. The Christmas classic, which takes nearly two hours to perform but took Handel only 24 days to write, has been heard in churches and concert halls the world over, in a multitude of variations. However, a 400-voice choir accompanied by the Phoenix Symphony breathed new life into the old warhorse, thanks in part to the Arena’s high-definition video screens and a pair of GCU vocalists who demonstrated why the College of Fine Arts and Production has made it all the way back.

The parable of the workers in the vineyard from Matthew 20 was the focus of Jamie Rasmussen, senior pastor of Scottsdale Bible Church, at this morning’s Chapel. Rasmussen said God gives equal blessing in seven areas: eternal life, forgiveness of sin, victory over temptation, constant presence, peace and joy, purpose and meaning, and comfort in suffering. Four other areas, he said, are indiscriminate in blessing: wealth, health, talents and abilities, and comfortable circumstances.

It’s amazing that First Southern Baptist Church is still standing after GCU’s three choirs raised the roof on the place Friday night. The first choral concert of the fall semester found the Canyon Chorale, the Canyon Singers and the New Life Singers on top of their game — and provided a clear indication of just how far the Music Department has come in a year under the direction of Assistant Dean Juan Hernandez and vocal coach Sheila Corley.

Any actor can dream of Broadway. Mike Hegeman dreams of a small, 300-seat theatre in west Phoenix — more than 20 years after he performed there as a college student. Forgive him, then, for pinching himself when the curtain is raised Friday on “You Can’t Take It With You,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy that opens the Ethington Theatre Series for 2011-12 at GCU.

Choir caps a successful first year with a 4,500-mile trip through Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas, giving 16 performances over two weeks and spending time in a recording studio.

By Doug Carroll Communications Staff The spectacular return of quality choral music to campus was celebrated Thursday night at Ethington Theatre with the Music Department’s final concert of the school year. Performances by the Canyon Chorale and Canyon Singers, along with solo selections by soprano Christina Cullers and pianist Julianne Forté, served as confirmation that GCU lost nothing as a magnet for talent in the arts during a four-year hiatus for the program. Assistant Dean Juan Hernandez and vocal coach Sheila Corley clearly know how to develop that talent, and their second year of teamwork should be even better. The Commencement concert functioned much like a greatest-hits performance, with music that had been performed earlier in the year. The range in the seven choral numbers was substantial, from the doo-wop rhythms of Shaw’s “Java Jive” to the classic spiritual “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” to Cymbala’s achingly beautiful “Lead Me Lord.” Cullers and Forté were announced as GCU Scholarship Foundation grant winners, along with pianist Tabitha Kaminski. Cullers sang an aria from Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi,” and Forté played Debussy’s “Jardis sous la pluie.” Both are supremely talented performers for whom the sky is the limit. Forté, who finds time also to […]

GCU’s New Life Singers put faith and fun together in an outstanding worship choir. Meet Gabe, their fearless leader and GCU’s Campus Music Minister as he leads these talented students on their New Life Journey.