ISSUED: 9 April 2024
MEDIA CONTACT: Cecelia Mason
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — The Shepherd University Community Music Program announces two upcoming spring concerts. The Shepherd Youth Chorus (SYC) and Community Recorder Ensemble will perform on Tuesday, April 23, and the Shepherd Community Orchestra and Sinfonia: A Learning String Ensemble concert will take place on Wednesday, April 24. Both concerts will take place at 7:30 p.m. the Frank Arts Center Theater, 260 University Dr., Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
SYC, under the direction of Dr. Austin Showen, will showcase the vocal talents of young singers ranging from ages 8 to 16. The choir of students from diverse educational backgrounds will perform an array of folk and international selections, including works from South Carolina, Jamaica, and Ghana.
Directed by Andrea Diggs, the Shepherd Community Recorder Ensemble will present an innovative interpretation of music from the court of King Henry VIII. Comprising high school to professional adult instrumentalists, the ensemble promises to deliver a rich tapestry of sounds, demonstrating that the recorder is a versatile and captivating instrument with a storied history.
Led by Camilo Perez Mejia, the Shepherd Community Orchestra will perform on a combination of strings, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments, highlighting pieces such as Franz Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2” and J.P. Sousa’s “The Fairest of the Fair.”
Sinfonia: A Learning String Ensemble, directed by Renee Shaw Nutwell, will perform a repertoire featuring timeless classics such as “Simple Gifts” by Joseph Brackett, arranged by Peter Martin, and “Kanon” by Johann Pachelbel, arranged by Angela Harman.
Tickets are available for purchase online or at the door. For more information, visit the Community Music webpage or contact communitymusic@shepherd.edu.
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