A bit of information that you will want to share with others. Especially with distant relatives that have a desire to watch the concert from home via the internet.
The Choral Festival concerts will be live streamed on Friday night and Sunday afternoon. We thank Martin Spriggs and the technology staff at the WELS synod administration building for their assistance with the streaming.
We will also be televising the concerts live on local cable. An archival video of each concert will be made available to each school.
Special thanks to Kevin Buch (MLHS Admissions Director) for lining these services up and to Scott Reinhard (MLHS Development Director) for securing funding for these broadcasts.
God Bless,
Joel
Joel P. Ungemach
Director of Choral Music
Assistant Principal: Curriculum & Supervision of Instruction
This concert will go live at 7:00 PM, Sunday, October 24, 2010 Central Standard Time (GMT-6)
Fisk Jubilee Singers, 1871
If it weren’t for the nine members of the Fisk University Jubilee Singers going on choir tour in 1871 to raise money for their dilapidated Nashville freedmen school, the world might never have heard of the Negro Spiritual. The original Fisk University, the Fisk Free Colored School, occupied an old, hastily built, Union army hospital in downtown Nashville in the 1860’s. After the Civil War, the school rapidly grew to over 1000 freed slaves who were eager to learn, but by 1871 Fisk was so poor that the black students and white faculty both believed that they would have to close down. All except for their choir director, George White, who believed that if he could raise $300 from an audience of black people in Atlanta and Memphis, that he could organize a profitable choir tour of Ohio and New York and help Fisk University stay open. Little did those nine singers know that when they left on tour that three years later they would not only have had sung at the White House for President Ulysses S. Grant but also in London for Queen Victoria! The Fisk Jubilee Singers raised over $250,000 in three years and helped pay for Jubilee Hall, which, along with Fisk University, stands to this day.
Jubilee Hall, Fisk University, Nashville, TN
What also stands till this day is the enduring legacy of the Negro Spiritual. Born out of the slaves’ African culture of music and song being such an integral part of their entire society that they could not help but sing even when enslaved in America, the Negro Spiritual has not only become the roots of American Jazz, Blues, and Gospel music but also has lived on by itself as its own unique musical art form. Thousands of spirituals have been written down over the years and have become so engrained in American folk and sacred music that many today have forgotten that these same spirituals were the “Sorrow Songs” of the Negro Slave of the the 1800’s and brought back painful memories of a life of slavery when they were sung. Yet, through those painful memories comes a message of faith and hope in Jesus, the Savior of the world, who endured whipping and torture just like the slaves. If he could deliver Daniel from the lion’s den, then why not every man?
ALL CHOIRS
Go Down, Moses
African-American Spiritual, arr. David Cherwin
Erin Jacobs, Dan Moldenhauer, John Kammueller, Eric Post, Tom Knuth, Patrick Marchant, soloists
FRESHMAN CHOIR
Ain’t That Good News
African-American Spiritual, arr. Moses Hogan, ed. John Purifoy, adapted by Janet Klevberg Day
Follow the Drinking Gourd
From the children’s book Follow the Drinking Gourd by Jeanette Winter
All Night, All Day
African-American Spiritual, arr. Dale Witte
VIKING CHOIR
Little David, Play on Your Harp
African-American Spiritual, arr. Moses Hogan
Deep River
African-American Spiritual, arr. John Leavitt
Jacob’s Ladder
African-American Spiritual, arr. Daniel Kallman; Jordyn Wege, solo
ACADEMY KIDS
Livin’ on a Prayer
arr. Mac Huff; Libby Adelmeyer & Matt Diederichs, soloists
TRAVELING CHOIR
Down By the Riverside
African-American Spiritual, arr. Kirby Shaw; Stephanie Meyer, solo
Hush! Somebody’s Callin’ My Name
African-American Spiritual, arr. Brazeal W. Dennard
There is a Balm in Gilead
African-American Spiritual, arr. William Dawson; Megan Galske, solo
Today was Picture Day at WLA which means that this is the first time Traveling Choir has worn their outfits and has had their picture taken in them! It also means that I can finally publish the poster of TC's 2010-2011 church performance schedule.
You may download a poster to print for yourself. I am going to be printing posters and having them sent to all the WLA Associaiton congregations and grade schools as well. If you would like a poster and can't print it yourself, please contact me by email or call me at WLA at 920-921-4930 ext. 310.
Martin Luther College, The WELS College of Ministry in New Ulm, MN, live streamed their evening Compline service from August 23, 2010. I composed the liturgical music for this setting of Compline many years ago. It's nice to hear it used! What a beautiful chapel to worship in! Thanks to MLC Audio for recording it!
Just in case someone lost theirs (and parents wonder what we talked about in class), here are the handouts for all my classes from WLA's Orientation Day 2010.
Just a reminder that Picture Day is September 2, 2010 and all choirs will have their pictures taken! Check our the Concert Attire on each choir's handout for what they should wear for Picture Day and every concert.
UPDATE 8/16/10 – The time of the 12.22.10 Christmas Concert was corrected to 1:00 PM and WLA's address was added to the bottom.
Click the poster image on the left to download or print the WLA 2010-2011 Fine Arts Department Concert Season poster. I will be handing them out at the K-12 inservice on Monday, August 16, 2011 to the teachers of the WLA association. I will be sending posters out to all the association churches once school starts. If you are a WELS church in the WLA Association and don't get a poster, please call me (920-251-4490) or email me (dawitte@wlavikings.org) and I will happily send one to you.
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