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Men's Choral Festival features Middle Tenn high schoolers, ChamberMen

Janice Ng and Janel Shoun-Smith | 

Men’s Choral Festival
Featuring Timothy C. Takach and The ChamberMen
Tuesday, Jan. 28
7:30 p.m., Collins Alumni Auditorium
Free and open to the public.

 

A grand chorus of male choral singers from throughout Middle Tennessee will join Lipscomb University’s male choral ensemble The ChamberMen in the finale of the Men’s Choral Festival, at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28, in Collins Alumni Auditorium.

The singers will perform, “Little Blades of Grass,” a work composed specifically for the group by composer Timothy C. Takach, a former member of the professional male vocal ensemble Cantus. Lipscomb’s director of choral activities and event coordinator Gary Wilson and Takach will work with the singers to develop the piece throughout the festival.

Reviewed as “gorgeous” by the Washington Post and “stunning” by the Lawrence Journal-World, the music of Takach is rapidly gaining momentum in the concert world. Applauded for his melodic lines and rich, intriguing harmonies, Takach has received a number of commissions from numerous organizations including the St. Olaf Choir, Cantus, Pavia Winds and the Bowling Green State University men’s chorus.

Takach studied music composition at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. He now lives in Minneapolis and is a former member of Cantus, acclaimed as the premier men’s vocal ensemble in the U.S. With Cantus, Takach gave more than 80 concerts a year and performed his works in concert halls across the United States, Canada and Europe.

The university’s select male ensemble, The ChamberMen, will also work with the students and be a featured performer at the finale concert. The ChamberMen began singing together as a quintet in the fall of 2012 and has expanded to an ensemble of 11 singers this year. They frequently perform Renaissance motets, barbershop harmonies, standard men's music and even some pop music occasionally.

Wilson established the Men’s Choral Festival in 2013 as a means to help solve one of the toughest problems for high school choral directors nationwide: recruiting young male singers. He established the festival as an exciting enrichment experience for young men in hopes of boosting interest in choral music.

Schools expected to participate in the grand finale concert are Lipscomb Academy, Nashville; Station Camp High School, Gallatin; Riverdale High School, Murfreesboro; White House High School, White House; Hendersonville High School, Hendersonville; and University School of Jackson, Jackson.

The finale concert is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact the department of music at 1.800.333.4358, ext. 5932 or 615.966.5932.

This event is funded by a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission.