Hesston College announces the winter tour for its Bel Canto Singers. The tour will be Feb. 25 to March 1 and include six performances in Oregon. To kick off the tour, Bel Canto will offer a home concert at 4 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 21 at Hesston Mennonite Church. The public is invited to attend. There is no cost for admission, but a free-will offering will be collected.
The choir will perform a variety of pieces on the theme “Longings from the Wilderness,” including selections by Johann Sebastian Bach, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Kinley Lange, Robert Hawthorne, Hans Leo Hassler, Bradley Kauffman, as well as a traditional Kenyan piece and an Irish sea chanty.
“This program was designed to speak to a critical moment in the church year-the time when Christians prepare for Easter,” said director Bradley Kauffman. “It takes both performer and audience to a contemplative place. There are also moments of lightness, including a couple of secular numbers.”
Kauffman is chair of the college’s music department, teaches courses in music theory and conducting and conducts two Hesston College ensembles: Wind Ensemble and Bel Canto Singers. He has a bachelor of arts degree in music education from Goshen (Ind.) College and a master of arts in chorale conducting from the University of Iowa.
The tour will include the following performances:
- 10 a.m., Feb. 25: Southridge High School, Beaverton
- 7 p.m. Feb. 25: Salem Mennonite Church
- 9:45 a.m. Feb. 26: Western Mennonite School, Salem
- 7 p.m. Feb. 26: Albany Mennonite Church
- 10:30 a.m. Feb. 28: Portland Mennonite Church
- 7 p.m. Feb. 28: Zion Mennonite Church, Hubbard