In the News

Photo release - Anabaptist history comes to life at Know Jesus

Hesston College history instructor John Sharp illustrates a story of early Anabaptist martyrs with help from middle school participants during the Know Jesus event Jan. 31 to Feb. 1.

About 200 middle school students from 16 South Central and Western District conference congregations in Kansas participated in the weekend held on the Hesston College campus. The event focused on teaching students about the Anabaptist heritage. Along with Sharp, other speakers were Hesston College psychology and youth ministry instructor Kevin Wilder and Ron Moyo, Saturday night worship pastor at Whitestone Mennonite Church (Hesston) and a Hesston College Pastoral Ministries graduate. A group from Tabor Mennonite Church (Goessel) served as the worship band.

Student attendees and their sponsors participated in a campus-wide scavenger hunt hosted by Admissions, and interacted with college students during late night activities hosted by Student Life. A highlight of the weekend was the Anabaptist Game, put on by the Hesston College Bible and Ministry Department. The game simulates persecution experiences of early Anabaptists. Attendee Elizabeth Esch said, “I appreciated how they interpreted the stories and made them real for us.”

Photo by Desiree Corona.

The King’s Singers to present the Great American Songbook

After a wildly successful 2014 tour, The King’s Singers return to North America this February to treat audiences once again to their Great American Songbook program. The renowned vocal sextet returns to Hesston College’s Yost Center for their seventh appearance on the Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts Series on Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices range from $23 to $27 with discounts available for students and seniors; call 620-327-8158 or visit the Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts website for more information.

Thanks to grant funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, The King’s Singers will present a choral master class from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., Feb. 23, at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus. The class will feature performances by the Hesston College Bel Canto Singers, the Bethel College (North Newton, Kan.) Concert Choir and the Goessel (Kan.) High School Elbiata Singers. The master class is free and open to the public.

The Great American Songbook program offers up sunny, sophisticated versions of their favorite tunes by Rodgers & Hart, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin, arranged by the fast rising British jazz composer and bassist Alexander L’Estrange. Derived from their 2014 record of the same name, the tunes evoke nostalgia for a golden age of American musical culture. After a performance of this program last spring, the Richmond Times-Dispatch wrote, “Each arrangement was simply breathtaking, especially when performed by such an outstanding ensemble. They may be cheeky Brits, but they show real love and appreciation for these American classics.”

For baritone Christopher Gabbitas, these songs, written during a golden era of American songwriting (mostly for stage and screen), belong in the same category as German lieder or Frenchchansons.

“These songs were written by classically-trained composers and they endure because of their exceptional integrity,” says Gabbitas. “The beautifully crafted nature of these songs make them classics already. They have the weight of history and form a journey through the emergence of a nation through its pop culture.”

Considering the depth and breadth of the source material, song selection for this program was no easy task. The final list features 17 well-known tunes, songs that the Singers “utterly loved.” They are heard in stunning new arrangements by the fast rising British jazz composer and bassist Alexander L’Estrange. L’Estrange’s harmonically colorful re-workings of these standards maintain the integrity of the source material while reflecting The King’s Singers hallmark blend and wit. The result is a recording where the ensemble is able to luxuriate in the emotional harmonies of When I Fall in Love as well as bring their distinctly British sense of humor to a daffy rendition of Let’s Misbehave.

The group recruited a pair of a cappella gurus, Bill Hare (The Voice, Street Corner Symphony) and Danny Ozment (NBC’s The Sing Off) to create one of the group’s most ambitious and innovative programs to date. After bringing the songs up to performance standard together, each piece was then deconstructed and recorded part-by-part, resulting in a sparkling, modern sound that offers a 21st-century counterpoint to The King’s Singers first mannered recordings of other American standards in the 1970s on top-selling albums such as Swing and Out of the Blue. A second bonus disc offers yet another twist on the material with orchestral versions of eight tracks, recorded with the South Jutland Symphony Orchestra and featuring orchestrations by Jonathan Rathbone. The result of these fruitful collaborations is an immensely satisfying and joyful program and recording that makes us feel as if we are rediscovering this truly great music again for the first time.

Acclaimed for their life-affirming virtuosity and irresistible charm, The King’s Singers are in global demand. Their work – synonymous with the best in vocal ensemble performance – appeals to a vast international audience. They perform over 120 concerts each year, touring regularly to Europe, the United States, Asia and Australasia. The King’s Singers are admired for their musical excellence and recognized as consummate entertainers – a class act with a delightfully British sense of humor. Their generous spirit and magical ability to move audiences have remained constant since the group’s foundation in 1968.

They have premiered more than 200 new works, including landmark compositions by Luciano Berio, György Ligeti, James MacMillan, Krzysztof Penderecki, Toru Takemitsu, John Tavener and Eric Whitacre, and commissioned thrilling arrangements of everything from jazz standards to pop chart hits.

The King’s Singers are double Grammy® award-winning artists, honored in 2009 for their Signum Classics release, Simple Gifts, and again in 2012 for their contribution to Eric Whitacre’s Light & Gold album on Decca. In June 2013 they were chosen as one of only two vocal ensembles to enter the Gramophone Hall of Fame, honored for their unique discography of over 150 albums.

Highlights of the group’s 2014-15 season include: two performances in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, a Christmas performance in Washington National Cathedral; a visit to the Grand Philharmonic Hall of St. Petersburg; an invitation to perform at the American Choral Directors Association annual conference in Salt Lake City, where they will give the world premiere of a new work by Jake Heggie, and their second residential Summer School in the UK.

The HBPA King’s Singers concert is supported in part with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) – a federal agency – and KMUW – Wichita Public Radio, which is a media sponsor for this event. The HBPA series is funded in part by the cities of Hesston and North Newton, Excel Industries and Hustler Turf Equipment (Hesston), the Hesston Community Foundation, the North Newton Community Foundation, Hesston AmericInn and other area business and patrons. HBPA also receives support from the NEA and Mid-America Arts Alliance, with additional support from the NEA, foundations, corporations and individuals throughout Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.

The Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts Series, now in its 33rd year, is a collaborative effort of Hesston College and Bethel College (North Newton) presenting five performances by world-renowned or regionally acclaimed artists each year.

by Caroline Heaney, Bucklesweet Media and Rachel McMaster, Hesston College

Ted & Co. satirical drama to address peace and conflict resolution at AVDS conference

Audience members will be entertained while also being challenged with difficult truths when well-known actor Ted Swartz and partner Tim Ruebke of Ted & Company TheatreWorks (Harrisonburg, Va.) present the satirical drama I’d Like to Buy an Enemy at 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 14, at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus.

The performance is part of the college’s weekend Anabaptist and Vision Discipleship Series (AVDS) conference with the theme “Overcoming Evil: Ordinary People Making a Difference.” Admission to the show is free for conference registrants and $12 for the general public at the door.

Prominent Christian author and speaker Brian McLaren offered praise for the show: “People will laugh – but as they do, they will learn, and perhaps even gain the courage to confront some truths that most of us manage to avoid.”

Swartz is a writer, actor and owner and artistic director of the professional touring company Ted & Company TheatreWorks. As a seminary graduate, actor and comedian, Swartz melds crucial issues of the church and society with humor. He is the creator or co-creator of more than a dozen plays.

Ruebke provides experience in conflict resolution to the show. He is the director of the Community Mediation Center or Fairfield Center (Harrisonburg) where he works to advance understanding and effective planning. He also serves with FEMA as an Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisor, as a mediator for the United States Postal Service’s Resolve Employment Disputes, Reach Equitable Solutions Swiftly (REDRESS) program and is certified by the Supreme Court of Virginia as a mentor mediator and trainer. Ruebke is a 1988 Hesston College graduate and a former Hesston resident.

The 2015 AVDS conference will encourage participants to follow Jesus on the path of overcoming evil with good, and be a guide to understanding the biblical foundations for justice and the peace of Jesus to overcome the evil that is common to all. The keynote speaker will be internationally known voice for peace and 2008 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Father John Dear.

A full weekend schedule and registration can be found here or call the Hesston College Alumni and Church Relations Office at 620-327-8105.

Fiber and clay sculptures featured in Regier Friesen Gallery

Emporia (Kan.) State University art professor Stephanie Lanter communicates connection through sculptures in her show titled “Connectivities,” featured in Hesston College’s Regier Friesen Gallery through Feb. 20.

“I am examining psychological themes of dysfunction, loneliness, and ambivalence often in absurd or humorous ways,” said Lanter in her artist’s statement.

Her clay, fiber and mixed media phone-like sculptures, she explained, are symbolic representations of the relationships we have with others and with ourselves.

Lanter received a bachelors degree from Xavier University (Cincinnati, Ohio) and a master’s of fine arts from Ohio University (Athens).

She has taught ceramics and 3-D design at Emporia State University since 2011.

Lanter is also a resident artist at the Red Lodge (Mont.) Clay Center, the Anderson Ranch Arts Center (Snowmass Village, Colo.) and the Mendocino (Calif.) Arts Center, and was the first Archie Bray Foundation (Helena, Mont.) “Jentel Critic at the Bray” in 2004, a residency for writers interested in the ceramic arts.

The Regier Freisen Gallery is located in the Friesen Center for the Visual Arts and is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Hesston Bethel Performing Arts presents St. Louis Brass

One of the world’s most lauded brass ensembles, St. Louis Brass, will present an iconic Hesston Bethel Performing Arts concert at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 29, at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus.

The ensemble will also present a brass master class at Bethel College’s (North Newton) Luyken Fine Arts Center from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Jan. 29. The master class is free and open to the public.

With a 50-year history, St. Louis Brass is one of America’s longest standing brass quintets. The ensemble has a repertoire including contemporary composers to Baroque and Renaissance music, jazz and original compositions. The members have also been praised as top-notch entertainers. The Kansas City Star said of the group: “Brass Quintet adds zaniness to its talents. Diverse material combined with imaginative presentation marked the engaging concert.”

St. Louis Brass was formed in 1964 by members of the St. Louis Symphony to play local children’s concerts. They quickly grew to playing full-length concerts across the country.

The ensemble was praised by the Green Bay (Wisc.) Press-Gazette as, “A delightfully varied program and five extraordinary brass players.”

The quintet features two trumpet players, French horn, trombone and tuba players and averages 40 engagements per year. More than 75 pieces have been written or arranged specifically for them.

St. Louis Brass’ members all have extensive experience in music performance and education, and hold top positions across the United States. Members are Allan Dean, professor of Music at Yale School of Music (New Haven, Conn.); Ray Sasaki, professor of music at the University of Texas at Austin; Thomas Bacon, a soloist and recording artist; Melvyn Jernigan, executive director of Primo Concerts management company and a recording and television producer; and Daniel Perantoni, professor of music at Indiana University (Bloomington).

Reserved seating and general admission tickets for St. Louis Brass are available through the HBPA website or by calling 620-327-8158. Ticket prices range from $17 to $20 with discounts available for students and senior citizens.

Two events remain in the 2014-15 HBPA season – The King’s Singers on Feb. 23 in Hesston College’s Yost Center and Trio Voronezh on April 15 at Hesston Mennonite Church.

The HBPA St. Louis Brass concert is supported in part by an award from Mid-America Arts Alliance, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commision and foundations, corporations and individuals throughout Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. HBPA is also funded in part by the cities of Hesston and North Newton, Excel Industries and Hustler Turf Equipment (Hesston), the Hesston Community Foundation, the North Newton Community Foundation, Hesston AmericInn, other area businesses and patrons, the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, and the NEA itself.

The Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts series, now in its 33rd year, is a collaborative effort of Hesston College and Bethel College (North Newton), presenting five performances by world-renowned or regionally acclaimed artists each year.

Generations to unite during Martin Luther King, Jr., Week

Hesston College’s annual week-long celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr., Jan. 19 to 23, will have an intergenerational theme.

The week’s events, with the theme “Voices of Hope,” will bring together community institutions for people across generations, including the Intergenerational Child Development Center, Hesston High School, Hesston College, Hesston Area Senior Center and Schowalter Villa. All events are free and open to the public.

“We have tried to make Martin Luther King, Jr., Week events of interest to all ages throughout the community to connect groups and see what synergy might develop across town,” said organizer Dwight Roth, former Hesston College social science instructor. “From this could flow a new source of intergenerational energy that may benefit the entire community in service as seen in the vision of Dr. King.”

The event schedule for the week includes Hesston College chapel presentations on the theme “Voices of Hope.” Tony Brown, Hesston College faculty member and artist in residence, will present on the topic at chapel Monday, Jan. 19, and Evies and Sharon Cranford (Wichita, Kan.), college educators and community leaders will speak at Wednesday’s chapel, Jan. 21. Hesston College chapel is from 11 to 11:25 a.m., in the Hesston Mennonite Church sanctuary on the Hesston College campus.

“Beat the Winter Blues,” a community-wide event sponsored by the Hesston Foundation and Hesston Area Senior Center will be from 5:30 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 21, at the Hesston High School Commons. The evening will feature a free dinner and music by the Hesston High Jazz Band, Hesston College Gospel Choir and A Terra Plana, a Wichita band that plays Brazilian jazz music known as “choro.” There will also be a scarf tree for people to take a scarf or bring a scarf for others to take to fight the cold.

A coffee house and open mic time will round out the week’s events at 8 p.m., Friday, Jan. 23 at the Hesston College Larks Nest in Erb Hall.

Spring semester courses offered at discounted rates

Community participants can audit the courses for $50 per credit hour, compared to the normal rate of $75 per hour. Senior citizens – ages 60 and older – may attend any course at a flat rate of $30. The courses are also available for full credit. High school students may enroll in any course for credit at a rate of $124 per hour. See full course descriptions.

The classes available for audit are:

• Ceramics II with Hanna Eastin, meets Tuesdays and Thursday from 10 to 11:15 a.m. $150 plus $20 fee for clay and other materials. Participants need to have some experience with ceramics.
• Introduction to Computers with Vickie Andres, meets Mondays and Wednesdays from 8 to 8:50 a.m. $100.
• Desktop Publications with Vickie Andres, meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 to 11:15 a.m. $150.
• Advanced Excel with Vickie Andres, meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 2:50 p.m. (March 2 to April 30 only). $50. Participants need to have some experience with Microsoft Excel.
• Web Authoring and Publishing with Bob Harder, meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 to 10:50 a.m. $150.
• Industrialization to Globalization with David LeVan, meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 2 to 2:50 p.m. $150.
• Literature of Race, Ethnicity and Gender with Karen Sheriff LeVan, meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 to 1:50 p.m. $150.
• Creative Writing with André Swartley, meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 3 to 3:50 p.m. $150.
• African-American History with John Sharp and Tony Brown, meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 to 11:15 a.m. $150.
• Introduction to Film with Donovan Tann, meets Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30 to 9 p.m. $150.
• Class Guitar with Bradley Kauffman, meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30 to 1:20 p.m. $50. Participants need to provide their own guitar.
• Positive Psychology with Kevin Wilder, meets Tuesdays from 3 to 3:50 p.m. $50.
• Prophets and Revelation with Michele Hershberger, meets Thursdays from 6:30 to 9 p.m. $150.
• Worship and Celebration with Laura Kraybill, meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 to 11:15 a.m. $150
• Christian Education with Michele Hershberger, meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. $150.
• Elementary Spanish II with Maria Day, meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 to 10:50 a.m., plus a one-hour weekly practice lab. $200. Participants need to have some Spanish language skills.

To register for the classes, complete the registration form by Jan. 6. Contact the Hesston College Registrar’s Office with questions at 620-327-8204 before Dec. 23 or after Jan. 4.

Alumni donate civil rights books

Because of his great esteem for Hesston College, 1972 alumni Bruce Rogers and his wife Joy, also a 1972 graduate, donated 65 books on civil rights and African-American history to the college’s Mary Miller Library. Rogers said of all his educational experiences, including graduate school, Hesston had the most profound effect on him, therefore he wanted to give back.

“The gift to the Mary Miller Library of civil rights books and videos from Bruce and Joy Rogers will be an asset to the library collection,” said Margaret Wiebe, library director. “They will be a great resource to those who are studying the topic in classes as well as to those who have a personal interest in studying civil rights.”

Rogers, of Goshen, Ind., has a passion for the civil rights movement, which he describes as the best example of democracy at work. He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Goshen College and a master’s degree in school administration from Indiana University (Bloomington). In his 36 years as an educator in Elkhart County, Ind., he served as a school principal, teacher, coach, adjunct professor at Indiana University and a consultant for the Indiana Department of Education. He retired in June 2014.

Rogers’ interest in civil rights is fueled by his work as an educator and many years of teaching the history to students.

During the summer of 2003, Rogers retraced the 1964 Selma to Montgomery, Ala., march on foot, visiting historical sites and visiting with people along the way, in order to better teach the civil rights lessons in his curriculum as a sixth-grade teacher at Eastwood Elementary School in Elkhart, Ind.

Rogers will help lead a Hesston College civil rights seminar with Hesston faculty members John Sharp and Tony Brown during spring break March 7 to 15. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic Selma to Montgomery march, participants will travel to Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma, Ala., Meridian and Philadelphia, Miss., and Memphis, Tenn., where they will visit historical sites from the march, as well as other sites significant to the 1960s civil rights movement.

The donated books are available for check out in Hesston College’s Mary Miller Library, located in Smith Center.

below - Hesston College alumni Bruce and Joy Rogers, right, donated 65 books on civil rights and African-American history to the college’s library. Pictured with the Rogers, from left, are history instructor John Sharp, librarians Margaret Wiebe and Donna Diener and sociology instructor Tony Brown. Rogers will co-lead a spring break trip commemorating the 50th anniversary of the civil rights march from Montgomery to Selma, Ala., in March with Brown and Sharp.

Activities planned for Thanksgiving Weekend 2014

Hesston College will host its 47th annual Thanksgiving Weekend celebration Nov. 27 to 29. The public is invited to attend several events that have become Hesston College traditions.

The weekend lineup includes activities for all ages, including a traditional Thanksgiving meal, a talent show, men’s and women’s basketball games, a two-mile run/walk and a luminary walk at Dyck Arboretum of the Plains.

Hesston’s Thanksgiving Weekend allows students’ families and prospective students a glimpse of the Hesston Experience and community.

Prospective students are welcome for a full campus visit weekend, including an academic and student life open house on Friday, Nov. 28, campus tour and spending the night in the dorms. Siblings of current students are especially invited to attend.

The annual Thanksgiving evening Masterworks concert will feature the Hesston College Bel Canto Singers, Chorale and Chamber Orchestra for “A Service of Nine Lessons and Carols” at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 2,7 in the Hesston Mennonite Church Sanctuary on the Hesston College campus. The free concert is based on an early twentieth century tradition originating from King’s College in Cambridge, England. The “lessons” are scripture passages interspersed with carols that tell the Christmas story from prophesy to the advent of Christ.

Students, faculty and staff will display their talents through song, skits and video at a 9:30 p.m. talent show Nov. 27 at Hesston Mennonite Church. Admission is free.

Seasoned and casual runners and walkers can work off their Thanksgiving feasts during the 23rd annual Howard Hustle two-mile run/walk at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 28. An early entry fee of $20 is being offered to registrants before Nov. 20. The fee after Nov. 20 is $25. Participants will receive long-sleeved tech shirts and a race number. Proceeds will be donated to the Hesston College Wellness Equipment Project. Individuals may donate a gift to the project without participating in the run. Medals will be given to overall and age group winners, and door prizes will be given to winners and participants as well. Registration information can be found online at hesston.edu/thanksgiving.

The college’s music ensembles will perform pieces from their fall repertoire in a 2 p.m. concert, Nov. 28 in the Hesston Mennonite Church Sanctuary.

Music and theatre students will also perform in a cabaret featuring musical theatre songs and monologues at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 28, in the Northlawn Studio Theatre. The performance is free, though seating is limited and audience members are encouraged to arrive early to ensure a seat.

Weekend guests are invited to the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains’ annual luminary walk from 5:30 to 8 p.m., Nov. 28 and 29.

The women’s and men’s basketball teams will host Tabor College JV (Hillsboro, Kan.) at 5 and 7 p.m. respectively, Nov. 28 and Northern Oklahoma College-Enid at 2 and 4 p.m. Nov. 29. The games are sponsored by Mid-America Youth Basketball (MAYB).

A complete weekend schedule and registration information can be found here or by calling the Special Events office at 866-437-7866 or the Admissions Office at 800-995-2757.