By Kristin Gaffney | Echo
This coming Tuesday, Taylor students have the opportunity to hear music performed over spring break by the Taylor Sounds Chamber Ensemble. The ensemble is a by-audition choir in the Taylor Music Department and is filled with music majors who possess a passion for singing.
Led by Dr. JoAnn Rediger and senior music majors Courtney Jameson and Hayley Kurr, the ensemble taught high school students while enjoying the sights of Prague, Vienna and Budapest during their spring break. They performed at Christian high schools and churches in the Czech Republic and Hungary.
It was an eye-opening experience for junior Elma Helfgott. Meeting European high schoolers was her favorite experience. "I'm a music education major and it made me feel really confident," she said. "God really affirmed that yes, this is what I should do withmy life. I will never forget it."
Sounds students mentioned that God seemed to be working through the choir, allowing them to perform in many different countries of Europe. "(God) was noticeable when we would sing and how people would respond," said Jameson, who specializes in vocal performance. "We definitely felt his presence during that time."
The ensemble saw a professional opera in Vienna, giving them the opportunity to experience foreign musical culture. They sang at a Korean cultural center in Budapest, watched a Hungarian folk dance and relaxed on a dinner cruise on the Danube river. For Jameson, the most rewarding moment came when the ensemble performed with the Association of Christian Schools International Honor Choir. The ACSI Honor Choir is made up of English-speaking students from schools all across Europe and Asia
This Tuesday, Taylor students will be able to see the performance for themselves, which will feature songs such as "City Called Heaven" and an entertaining rendition of "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." The songs will be the same ones students worked on and refined throughout their European experience.
"Expect a lot of joy, a lot of worship in Christ, and just expect for the Lord to work in parts," Helfgott said. "It's never the group that does the work; it's the Lord through us."The performance will be in the Recital Hall of the Smith-Hermanson Music Center. The concert is free and will be on Tuesday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m.
Thumbnail photograph courtesy of Andras Kim.
