(Caption: The LMU Concert Choir, the LMU Jazz Band and the LMU Concert Band are preparing for upcoming performances in April. Pictured here in past performances, the choir will perform April 25 and the bands will perform April 26. All performances will be held in the Sam and Sue Mars Performing Arts Center in the Duke Hall of Citizenship, on the main campus.)
Choral and instrumental performances are coming up to continue the year-long 125th Anniversary celebration of Lincoln Memorial University’s (LMU) founding.
During April there will be two consecutive evenings of musical performances. The LMU Concert Choir will hold its 125th Anniversary celebration on Monday, April 25, at 7 p.m. in the Sam and Sue Mars Performing Arts Center in the Duke Hall of Citizenship. The LMU Jazz Band and Concert Band will perform on Tuesday, April 26, at 7 p.m. – also in the Duke Hall of Citizenship.
“Reaching the 125th anniversary is no small feat, and the music ensembles are grateful for being able to celebrate this accomplishment with the University,” said Dr. Benjamin Bruflat, assistant professor of music and director of the LMU Concert Band and Jazz Band. “With the selected repertoire, we aim to celebrate LMU’s past while looking forward to a bright future.”
The choir, under the direction of Dr. Young Kim, assistant professor of music, is currently comprised of 12 singers. They are LMU students, faculty and staff members, and community members. The LMU Alma Mater will be performed as part of the 125th Anniversary celebration, Kim said.
“In addition to the LMU Alma Mater, it will be a typical choral concert with a diverse range of styles and genres, from old favorites like ‘Amazing Grace’ to modern works like ‘The Circle of Life’,” she said.
The LMU Concert Band and Jazz Band, like the choir, include the talents of LMU students, faculty, staff, and community members. The groups are diverse, Bruflat said, with two distinct sounds.
The musicians “have an enthusiasm and passion for music, want to be there, and are a good representation of the area in general,” he added.
For the celebration, the bands will incorporate works for LMU’s 125th Anniversary.
“In the Jazz Band, we’re playing popular pieces like ‘My Funny Valentine’ and ‘Blues in the Closet.’ Additionally, I wrote an original piece called ‘Honest Abe’,” Bruflat said.
The Concert Band will perform LMU’s new fight song in honor of the 125th Anniversary. It will also be playing works by Eric Whitacre, Jay Coles, and Johann Strauss, Sr.
“The highlight will be ‘Lincoln Portrait’ by Aaron Copland, a 15-minute celebration of the former president featuring narration by Joe Gill, assistant professor of theater,” said Bruflat.
The performances are open to the public with free admission.
Anyone interested in joining the LMU Choir is encouraged to contact Kim at Young.Kim@LMUnet.edu. Bruflat welcomes inquiries about joining the Concert Band and Jazz Band at his email: Benjamin.Bruflat@LMUnet.edu.
Lincoln Memorial University is a values-based learning community dedicated to providing educational experiences in the liberal arts and professional studies. The main campus is in Harrogate, Tennessee. For more information about the undergraduate and graduate programs available at LMU, contact the Office of Admissions at 423.869.6280 or email at admissions@LMUnet.edu.
