Bluffton University’s Camerata Singers will perform in five states during the group’s annual spring-break tour.
The 30-member, select choral ensemble will make concert stops in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia, Florida and Ohio from March 6-13.
"Songs of Praise and Love,” is the theme of the program, conducted by Dr. Mark J. Suderman, professor of music and director of choral activities at Bluffton. The program will feature sacred choral music from the Renaissance period through the present, including music from a variety of styles and genres: gospel music, choruses from major works, spirituals and more.
On Sunday, March 6, the ensemble will perform at Pittsburgh Mennonite Church in Pittsburgh, Pa., at 10:30 a.m. Pittsburgh Mennonite is the home church of Camerata singer, Sam Stucky. At 7:30 p.m., the group will sing at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Mechanicsburg, Pa., which is the hometown of Camerata singer Rebecca Juliana.
The ensemble will then travel to Lancaster, Pa., to perform at Lancaster Mennonite High School at 9:50 a.m. on Monday, March 7. From there, they will continue to West Swamp Mennonite Church in Quakertown, Pa., the home church of Camerata singer Alicia Loch. That performance will begin at 7 p.m.
On Tuesday, March 8, the Camerata Singers will have two performances at Eastern Mennonite High School in Harrisonburg, Va., the hometown of Camerata singer Mary Bender. The performances will take place at 2:20 p.m. and 7 p.m.
The trip continues with a performance for Berea Mennonite Church and Atlanta Mennonite Fellowship at Berea Mennonite Church in Atlanta, Ga., at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 9.
Thursday, March 10, the group will travel to Sarasota, Fla., for a 4 p.m. concert at Sunnyside Village. On Friday, March 11, the group will perform at 11:30 a.m. at Sarasota Christian School.
The trip home will include a stop at Cincinnati Mennonite Church at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 13.
The home concert for Camerata Singers will be at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 20 in Yoder Recital Hall.
Camerata Singers will also be part of the worship service at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 3 at Grace Mennonite in Pandora, Ohio.
Ana Yoder Coulter, adjunct professor of music and staff accompanist at Bluffton University, will accompany the choir on both piano and organ. A number of student instrumentalists will also perform on some of the pieces. These instruments will include a brass quartet, saxophone and flute.
The chamber choir was established in 1984 as an outgrowth of a larger mixed choir. Camerata Singers maintains an active schedule of more than 20 annual performances on campus, in area churches and schools, and on tour. The choir tours domestically each year, plus international travel and study every three or four years. Camerata Singers enjoyed a three-week cross-cultural experience to Great Britain in May 2015. This year’s choir includes four Presidential Scholars, numerous officers in campus student organizations, athletes, an average GPA of more than 3.5, and represents more than 15 majors on campus.
