The Sunflower Trio, comprised of Hesston College music faculty Matthew Schloneger, tenor; Rebecca Schloneger, violin and Ken Rodgers, piano, will present a program about Mennonite composer J. Harold Moyer which will feature some of his music during Forum at 11 a.m., Tuesday, March 14, in Yoder Recital Hall.
The group will also perform a concert of Moyer’s works at 7:30 p.m. that evening in Yoder Recital Hall. Both events are free and open to the public. A free-will offering to cover program expenses will be taken during the evening performance.
Moyer (1927-2012), a long-time music professor at Bethel College, Conrad Grebel University College and Goshen College, was a talented composer who dedicated much of his life to music of the church. He was responsible for a good number of hymns in “Hymnal: A Worship Book” and the 1969 Mennonite Hymnal, and he wrote or arranged several sets of songs for The
Sunflower Trio, including settings of old American hymn tunes and texts by Carl Sandburg, Lew Sarrett, and Mennonite poet Jean Janzen.
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.
Formed in 2002, The Sunflower Trio is dedicated to the performance of music featuring voice, violin and keyboard. The group excels in a variety of styles with an eclectic repertoire ranging from Bach to Broadway to bluegrass. The trio has performed extensively throughout the U.S. as part of the Kansas Arts Commission and Mid-America Arts Alliance touring rosters. The trio released its first recording “All Good Gifts” in 2015.
