HILLSBORO, Kan. – The Tabor College Concert Choir will travel to Colorado and California for its annual spring tour, March 16-24 with performances at eight different churches and schools.
The choir’s director and professor of music, Brad Vogel, is excited for his students to share their music under the theme “Sing Me to Heaven” which is the title of the penultimate song of the concert.
“Overall, the selections represent music as a gift from God,” Vogel said. “The texts of the songs are either drawn from biblical passages the record scenes in heaven, or speak of the heavenly origin of music, either as God’s creation or resulting from God’s work in our lives.”
The Concert Choir’s repertoire for the program ranges from spirituals such as “Music Down in My Soul,” to traditional hymns, including “His Eye Is On the Sparrow” and “Holy, Holy, Holy,” to international flavor including “Muusika,” which is sung in Estonian.
The choir is comprised of 40 students from five states. The ensemble travels each year during Spring Break and every four years travels to the West Coast. In addition to performing the group will have the opportunity to visit the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Denver and tour the Sequoia National Park. Throughout the tour, the choir is hosted by churches and Tabor alumni.
“Our annual spring tour is a culmination of a year of hard work,” Vogel added. “The students immensely enjoy traveling and performing. Our desire is to share joy and inspire audiences through music.”
Two pre-tour concerts will be given on Sunday, March 12; the first at 10:30 a.m. at Ebenfeld Mennonite Brethren Church in Hillsboro, and the second at Zoar Mennonite Brethren Church in Inman, Kan., at 7 p.m. The choir will close out the tour with a home concert on Sunday, April 2 at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church.
Noted for the vitality of its singing and clarity of expression, the Concert Choir has been selected to perform for the Kansas Music Educators Association State Convention six times since 2000 under Vogel’s direction.
List of concert dates/times/locations include:
- 7 p.m., Thursday, March 16 – Garden Park Church, Denver, Colo.
- 7 p.m., Friday, March 17 – New Life Community Church, Aurora, Colo.
- 7 p.m., Sunday, March 19 – Shafter Mennonite Brethren Church, Shafter, Calif.
- 9:35 a.m., Tuesday, March 21 – Fresno Christian School, Fresno, Calif.
- 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 21 – Reedley Mennonite Brethren Church, Reedley, Calif.
- 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 22 – Kingsburg Mennonite Brethren Church, Kingsburg, Calif.
- 7 p.m., Thursday, March 23 – College Community Church, Clovis, Calif.
- 7 p.m., Friday, March 24 – Shoreline Calvary Chapel, Morro Bay, Calif.