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January 02, 2012

North Park University Choir Tours, Performs in New England March 10–12

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North Park University Choir Tours, Performs in New England March 10–12

Choir Tour

Ensembles to perform in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts

CHICAGO (February 20, 2012) – The 45-member North Park University Choir will tour and perform in New England locations March 10-12 with the theme "Towards a Peaceable Kingdom: Songs of Faith, Inspiration, and Community." The University Choir, including the University Chamber Singers, will perform in congregations of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC), sing in worship at Boston's historic Trinity Church, and lead a workshop with area high school choirs during a stop in Massachusetts.

Four performances are planned during the tour, and each is free and open to the public:

Concerts will include traditional and lesser-known choral repertoire, and will highlight some contemporary Chicago-area composers and arrangers, said Dr. Julia Davids, the Stephen J. Hendrickson Endowed Chair of Choral Activities, North Park University School of Music. Concert-goers will hear music from Christian and other perspectives, sung in English, Latin, French, Spanish, and Hebrew, she said.

The tour's theme is derived from "The Peaceable Kingdom," a composition written by Randall Thompson, a professor of music who studied and taught at colleges and universities in the eastern United States. "Every student should sing Randall Thompson's music," Davids said. "It is great music. I love the whole concept behind his 'Peaceable Kingdom.' We're doing just a couple of the movements from it. I think it holds with the focus of North Park University — that we're part of a peaceful and knowledgeable co-existence with our urban location, with a diversity of students. We're a very outward-looking institution. That's what this program is hoping to showcase."

ChoirDr. Julia Davids directs choral activities at North Park University.

A few students will share some of their North Park University experiences with audiences at each performance, Davids said. Among the students in the choir is Peter Palmatier, Quincy, Mass., a freshman majoring in creative writing. "I'm really excited to go back home and see my family and all my friends from my church again," he said. "It'll be nice for them to finally hear some of the music that we've been singing this year." Several members of Palmatier's family have attended the University, he said.

Each concert will conclude with the traditional Swedish hymn, "Children of the Heavenly Father." Alumni will be invited to sing with the choir, in both Swedish and in English, a tribute to the University's history, Davids said. The University is affiliated with the Chicago-based ECC, which was formed by Swedish immigrants.

During the tour, Davids and the University Choir and Chamber Singers will lead a workshop March 12 with two high school choirs at Braintree High School, Braintree, Mass. The high school students will learn singing techniques, and work on a specific choral repertoire, she said. North Park students will also share their student experiences with the high school students.

University Choir members will stay with host families throughout the tour. Staff with the University School of Music will accompany the choir and make recruiting visits. Staff with the Office of Alumni Relations will also be present at each concert and host a networking event in Boston March 9 for North Park University alumni.


Use @npunews to follow North Park University News on Twitter. For further information or resources, contact John Brooks, Director of Media Relations and News, via email or at (773) 244-5522. Learn more about North Park University.

Next Steps

Explore the School of Music ensembles.

Read more of the campus news featured in the Summer 2012 North Parker.

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