In the News

Art reflecting nature showcased in Regier Friesen Gallery

Artist Mika Holtzinger defines what it means to be a “steward to nature” through her show “Coalesce” featured in Hesston College’s Regier Friesen Gallery through February 19.

A closing reception, demonstration and chance to meet the artist will be from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 19, in the gallery.

“I aim to discover how art can celebrate the beauty and grandeur of wildlife while also reflecting on the crucial issues concerning them,” Holztinger said.

Her paintings are constructed in a unique way – layering pencils, paints, inks and pastels on non-traditional materials.

Now living in New Mexico, Holtzinger received a bachelor of fine arts degree from Wichita (Kan.) State University and a master of fine arts from the University of Oregon (Eugene). She also spent a year studying at the International School of Painting, Drawing and Sculpture in Umbria, Italy. Holtzinger has taught locally as a visiting artist at the Youthville Expressive Arts Center (Newton, Kan.), Andover Public Schools and Butler County Community College (El Dorado, Kan.).

Holtzinger is represented by the Toucan Gallery in Billings, Mont., operates her own internet gallery on Etsy, teaches art classes, illustrates books, designs public art projects and collaborates with wildlife organizations like the Honey Bee Conservancy in New York City.

The Regier Freisen Gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Comedian and actor to present Hesston College show

Comedian Ted Swartz (Harrisonburg, Va.) will present the show “Didn’t You Get My Letter? Musings from the Apostle Paul” at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 22, at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus.

In the hour-long one-man show, Swartz presents the Apostle Paul as a man often misunderstood. Through Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus to his sometimes contentious relationship with Peter and his frustrations with the followers of Jesus – the church, the audience will be able to feel Paul’s passion, pains, doubts and unshakable belief in the church and the power of love.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and can be purchased in advance through the Hesston College Bookstore by calling 620-327-8105 or at the door prior to the performance.

Ted & Company TheaterWorks uses humor and professional storytelling to talk about issues of faith and social justice.

Hesston College is hosting the event in conjunction with its annual Anabaptist Vision and Discipleship Series (AVDS) conference Feb. 21 to 23. The theme for 2014 is “Reading the Bible in an Instagram World” and will explore the relevancy of the Bible and making it come alive in today’s world. The college’s famed Biblical Literature course, and the cornerstone of the class, the Heilsgeschichte, or Salvation History, will be presented throughout the weekend.

Along with Swartz, weekend presenters are Hesston College Bible and ministry instructors Marion Bontrager and Michele Hershberger, and worship leader Jeremy Kempf (Glendale, Ariz.).

World-class pianist to perform Hesston College concert

Pianist Avguste Antonov will present a concert of American music at 4 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 9, in the Hesston Mennonite Church Sanctuary on the Hesston College campus. The concert will feature the music of American composers Carter Pann, Gregory Hutter, Matthew Saunders and Robert Rollin.

Antonov leads an active career as soloist and teacher. He is artist in residence at The Master’s Touch School of Music & Performing Arts, LLC., in Grapevine, Texas. Antonov has presented solo recitals throughout France as well as the United States, and has been featured as a soloist with orchestras throughout the midwest. Mr. Antonov is a dedicated performer of 20th and 21st century American living composer and has performed premieres at venues throughout the world and across North America. Over the years, he has worked with composers Carter Pann, Raina Murnak, Matthew Lewis, Till Meyn, Matthew Saunders, Robert Rollin, William Vollinger and others.

The concert will also feature Hesston College’s Steinway D nine-foot grand piano, newly purchased through a capital campaign to upgrade pianos on the Hesston College campus.

A reception will follow the concert.

Antonov will hold a masterclass at 9 a.m., Monday, Feb. 10 in the Hesston Mennonite Church Sanctuary. The public is invited to attend.

Hesston College Bel Canto Singers to spend weekend in Nebraska

The Hesston College Bel Canto Singers will perform the program “Meditations and Illuminations” at several locations in Nebraska during a weekend tour. All performances are free and open to the public though a free-will offering will be collected to assist with expenses.

The “Meditations and Illuminations” program, under the direction of Bradley Kauffman, depicts ways people experience music through a diverse repertoire honoring voices from across time and place, dwelling in contemplation (meditations) and discovery (illuminations).

“All music, sacred or secular, contemplative or exuberant, can draw us into a holy contemplation,” said Kauffman. “Music is a threshold where emotion and intellect transport us into God’s presence.”

Members of Bel Canto Singers are selected by competitive audition during the preceding academic year. The roster for 2013-14 has 21 students from nine states and two countries.

Concerts on the weekend tour schedule include:

• 7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 14 at Salem Mennonite Church, rural Shickley
• 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 15 at Bellwood Mennonite Church, 502 B Street, Milford
• 10:45 a.m., Sunday, Feb. 16 at First Mennonite Church, 7300 Holdrege, Lincoln

Bel Canto Singers are Rachelle Adrian, Mountain Lake, Minn.; Laura Baker, Protection, Kan.; Mary Bender, Harrisonburg, Va.; Spencer Berning, Newton, Kan.; Josh Booth, Goessel, Kan.; Davis Cook, Goessel, Kan.; Rebecca Eichelberger, Geneva, Neb.; Rachelle Haarer, Goshen, Ind.; Galed Krisjayanta, Surakarta, Indonesia; Havela Lehman, Keizer, Ore.; Matt Lind, Harrisonburg, Va.; Jay Marston, Murphysboro, Ill.; Morgan Martin, New Holland, Pa.; Karli Mast, Hubbard, Ore.; Holly Peters, Hesston, Kan.; Nathanael Ressler, Mount Vernon, Ill.; Rebecca Rhodes, Arthur, Ill.; Jason Schroeder, Harper Kan.; Jeffrey Smoker, Harrisonburg, Va.; Emily Taylor, Inman, Kan.; and Taylor Zehr, Wauseon, Ohio.

Photo release - A voice of remembrance

Hesston College observed Martin Luther King, Jr., Day with a week of events Jan. 20 to 24. The theme for the week was “A Voice of Conscience: Echoing the Words of Martin Luther King, Jr.,” and featured special chapel presentations with Hesston College history instructor John Sharp and local college educators and community leaders Evies and Sharon Cranford (Wichita, Kan.) The Friday night coffee house offered open mic time as well as a performance by the Terrel Verner Trio (Wichita) and a speech related to the words of Dr. King by Kenon Brinkley, a junior debate and forensics team member at Andover (Kan.) High School.

Hesston College to partner with community organization for Music of Four Loves

Hesston College and Bluestem Communities, the local retirement community, will partner to offer a special Valentine’s Day treat for the local community. The neighboring organizations will present “Music of Four Loves: Agape, Storge, Eros and Philia,” a dinner and concert, Thursday, Feb. 13 in the Community Center at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus.

The evening will begin with a dinner at 6 p.m. catered by the Water’s Edge restaurant with chicken cordon bleu and cedar plank salmon as the featured entrees. Along with an outstanding meal by a local favorite restaurant, diners will be treated to valet service and an open seating plan at tables of eight people. The Hesston College String Ensemble and private piano students will provide live dinner music.

At 7:30 p.m., the Hesston College Bel Canto Singers, under the direction of Bradley Kauffman, and Chorale, directed by Ken Rodgers, will perform a concert of pieces that reflect the four kinds of love: agape – unconditional love, storge – familial love, eros – romantic love and philia – love between friends.

“This event represents an ideal opportunity to showcase the talent of Hesston College students, the culinary expertise of Water’s Edge restaurant and the energy and creativity of residents of the Schowalter Villa community,” said Diane Yoder, vice president of marketing of Bluestem Communities. “We are excited to bring together several of the special elements this small town has to offer, creating an elegant evening for all – singles and couples – to enjoy.”

The cost for the full evening is $25. There is no cost to attend the concert only. Reservations and menu selections are required by Feb. 7 by calling 620-327-8109.

Local baseball player thriving at Hesston College

This was not the path Hesston College Baseball’s Dustin King envisioned for himself following his graduation from Clearwater (Kan.) High School. Having left home and enrolled at a four-year Kansas private school, the ambitious right-handed pitcher envisioned immediate success as a student athlete.

Early in the spring semester of his freshman year, however, King was surprised and disappointed to learn that he would be redshirted. Having hoped to compete for immediate innings, he found himself lacking for motivation and second-guessing his decision. The significant cost of attendance weighed heavily, too.

At a crossroads, King contacted his former pitching mentor Brian Holman, a Wichita area coach and former major league pitcher, to tell him he was itching for a change.

“When Dustin called me for advice during a disappointing freshman year, I thought Hesston College might be a good fit,” said Holman, who started working with King when he was 12.

That conversation helped set King on a life-altering path. It’s a path that has allowed King to be an impact player on a competitive collegiate team while gaining leadership and academic opportunities that are preparing him to pursue his dream of becoming an optometrist.

Familiar with Holman and his shared interest in developing the whole person as a student athlete, Hesston College head baseball coach Rob Ramseyer was immediately interested in having King join his squad.

“When Brian told me about Dustin, I was confident we were talking about a quality person,” Ramseyer said. “When we recruit a pitcher, we look for guys who can command multiple pitches for strikes, are great competitors and are going to love and care about their teammates. Dustin has done all three.”

With Ramseyer in pursuit, King was initially leery of the cost to attend another private college. He says his campus visit shed light not only a great opportunity to immediately compete for innings, but to do so affordably. Within weeks of the visit, he was in.

Since signing with the Larks, King has found himself challenged both on and off the mound. He’s taken each challenge and turned it into an opportunity to both improve himself, his teammates and his community.

“The coaches have helped me become a better person,” King said. “As players, we’re pushed to do well in the classroom, and I’ve had opportunities to take on leadership roles within the team that have spilled over to the campus.”

A key part of last year’s pitching staff that led the Larks to a school record-tying 26 wins, King led the team in wins and innings pitched. With another big year, King may position himself at the top of several major career pitching records at Hesston. More important than the wins, however, is where and when they’ve occurred.

During a March 19 game at local power Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, King tossed seven scoreless innings of relief, yielding five hits without a walk in a 2-1 Hesston extra-inning win. Later, in an early April home game, King again beat the Blue Dragons, this time going eight innings with seven hits and three runs allowed in a 6-5 Larks win.

King’s mental toughness was on full display in the Larks season finale, a May 17 super regional start at Murray State CC (Tishomingo, Okla.). Despite giving up a leadoff homerun and several early hard hit balls, King stayed on the mound for all nine innings in a 5-3 loss to the eventual NJCAA Div. II World Series Champions.

King’s growth has not been limited to the baseball diamond. Late in his freshman year, King was selected as a resident assistant and student ambassador, both highly sought after positions. A peek at his 2013-14 academic workload reveals a true student athlete. This year alone, King’s course load includes Microbiology, Religions of the World, Physics I and II, Macroeconomics and Organic Chemistry, among others.

“Dustin is a leader on campus and operates with transparency and honesty,” Ramseyer said. “He has plenty of options to extend his college career, and I’m excited to see his continued growth.”

In his final semester, King is job shadowing at Mid Kansas Eyecare in Hesston to get a glimpse into his future career. Sitting in on a wide range of patient encounters and one-on-one time with local optometrists will give King an edge as he plans his future.

“Dustin has certainly made the most of his opportunity at Hesston,” Holman said. “His hard work and good attitude are reflected in his accomplishments there. He’s had to work for everything he’s been given. Despite some adversity and disappointment throughout his career, he refused to give up on himself or his dream.”

“Hesston College has changed my life dramatically for the better,” King said. “It’s been a great place to start my career.”

AVDS conference to highlight Bible as a complete story

Participants in Hesston College’s annual Anabaptist Vision and Discipleship Series (AVDS) conference Feb. 21 to 23 will have the opportunity to discover the relevancy of the Bible and making it come alive in today’s world through the weekend’s theme, “Reading the Bible in an Instagram World.” Select weekend events are open to the public as well.

Using a condensed version of Hesston College’s well-known Biblical Literature course and the cornerstone of the class, the Heilsgeschichte, or Salvation History, participants will see how the Bible functions as complete story of the people of God and how it impacts contemporary life.

The weekend conference will feature presenters Marion Bontrager and Michele Hershberger of the Hesston College Bible and Ministry program, and nationally-recognized presenters songwriter and worship leader Jeremy Kempf (Glendale, Ariz.) and performer Ted Swartz (Harrisonburg, Va.) of Ted & Company TheatreWorks.

Events open to the public as well as conference participants, include a presentation of Swartz’s show “Didn’t You Get My Letter? Musings from the Apostle Paul,” at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 22, in the sanctuary of the Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus. General public tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and can be purchased in advance through the Hesston College Bookstore by calling 620-327-8105 or at the door prior to the performance. Conference participants will receive their ticket as part of their registration fee.

Swartz is known for re-telling the Bible through unconventional lenses that utilize humor and life lessons. “Didn’t You Get My Letter” portrays the Apostle Paul as an often misunderstood man as it looks at Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, his sometimes contentious relationship with Peter and his frustrations with Jesus’ followers known as the church. Swartz’s portrayal helps audience members better understand Paul’s passion, pains, doubts and unshakable belief in the church and the power of love.

The public is also invited to a 10:30 a.m. worship service with conference participants and the Hesston Mennonite Church congregation to hear a variety of 21st century believers us biblical hooks to connect their story with God’s story.

Bontrager, co-creator of the Biblical Literature curriculum, is an ordained minister, public speaker and a leader in the South Central Conference of Mennonite Church USA.

Hershberger is an ordained minister, public speaker and author of “A Christian View of Hospitality: Expecting Surprises” (Herald Press, 1999) and “God’s Story, Our Story: Exploring Christian Faith and Life” (Faith and Life Resources, 2003) and co-author of “Now It Springs Up” (Willowspring Downs, 2007).

Kempf serves as the Director of Music and Worship at Trinity Mennonite Church (Glendale, Ariz.) and has served as worship leader at several Mennonite Church USA youth conventions. He is a Hesston College alumnus and former Biblical Literature student.

Swartz couples theatre and a seminary education to present biblical stories through humor in theatre. Ted & Company is a team of actors and musicians who use humor and professional storytelling to talk about issues of faith and social justice through their many live shows, DVDs, digital videos, scripts and discussion guides.

The Anabaptist Vision and Discipleship Series was started at Hesston College to help Christians from the Anabaptist tradition and others interested in Anabaptism more fully understand their faith. The conference is designed for any interested person, not just pastors and congregational leaders.

A complete schedule, registration information and speaker information are available at www.hesston.edu. Cost for registration is $100 for individuals or $80 per person if registered in groups of three or more. Students receive a discounted rate of $20.

The Western District Conference of Mennonite Church USA has $30 rebates available for 30 participants from the conference’s congregations. Contact Nancy Funk at 316-283-6300 or wdc@mennowdc.org to sign up for the rebate, which will be issued after the event.

For more information, contact the Hesston College Special Events office at 866-437-7866

Broadway star to make HBPA appearance

A hometown girl, whose home is now New York City, will take the stage at Bethel College for the third event in the Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts series for 2013-14.

Rachel Kasper Fitzsimons, whose professional name is Rachel de Benedet, will play Emma in Tell Me on a Sunday, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Don Black.

The HBPA performance is Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. in Krehbiel Auditorium in Bethel’s Fine Arts Center. A second show has been added, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Krehbiel Auditorium.

The one-woman, one-act song cycle tells the story of an ordinary English girl who goes to the United States in search of love. Her romantic misadventures begin in New York City, lead her to Hollywood and eventually take her back to Manhattan.

When HBPA director Matthew Schloneger of Hesston College began brainstorming with de Benedet more than a year ago about having her perform as part of HBPA, they came up with Tell Me on a Sunday at almost the same time.

Schloneger had seen a production of it a number of years ago, and de Benedet was familiar with it. And she was excited about the prospect of bringing the show to a place she knows intimately – Bethel’s Fine Arts Center.

“I grew up on the Bethel College campus, literally – my mom [Kathryn Kasper] was resident director in Haury Hall when I was born,” de Benedet said.

“The Fine Arts Center was my playground. At about age 8, I remember thinking that since my dad [Arlo Kasper] and Walter Jost were ‘the kings of the Fine Arts Center,’ that made Lora Jost and me the princesses of the Fine Arts Center.

“It has been fun to sit in New York, staging myself, because I’m directing myself,” de Benedet continued, “and think of all the different parts of the Krehbiel Auditorium stage [and how I can use them]. It’s been an interesting and unique experience.”

She is also very much looking forward, she says, to working with her father on the lighting and set-building in the week of rehearsal ahead of the performances.

One reason for scheduling Tell Me on a Sunday so early in the year was so that it fell within the time that Arlo and Kathryn Kasper are in North Newton – they live in Asuncion, Paraguay, for most of the year.

De Benedet graduated from Bethel in 1988 with a Fine Arts Divisional major with emphases in drama and music, winning a Thresher Award for fine arts that year.

She spent two summers at Music Theatre of Wichita while at Bethel, moving to New York City soon after her second summer, which followed graduation.

“I spent a year on tour with Me and My Girl and Jesus Christ Superstar, then about eight years doing over 70 regional theater productions while based out of Boulder, Colo.,” she said. “In 1998, I returned to NYC and was incredibly fortunate to land my first Broadway show, The Sound of Music, within the first two weeks.

“After that closed, I took over the role of Elsa Schraeder (aka the Baroness) for the national tour of The Sound of Music, starring Richard Chamberlain.” The role earned her a St. Louis JUDY Award for Supporting Actress.

“After a few more regional plays came Nine on Broadway, starring Antonio Banderas, Chita Rivera and Jane Krakowski, and the mind-bending responsibility that is being a ‘dance captain.’

“After more regional work, I started Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, eventually taking over the role of Muriel when Joanna Gleason left, though as her understudy I had logged over 100 performances already. Two original off-Broadway shows came next, and then the national tour of Camelot landed in my lap out of nowhere.”

In Camelot, de Benedet played Guenevere, opposite Lou Diamond Phillips.

In addition to The Sound of Music, Nine and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which starred John Lithgow, de Benedet’s other Broadway credits are Catch Me If You Can, for which she received an Astaire Award nomination, and The Addams Family, playing Morticia opposite Nathan Lane.

De Benedet has appeared off-Broadway in The Second Tosca and in Christopher Durang’s Adrift in Macao, for which she won the Barrymore Award for Best Actress for the original Philadelphia Theatre Company production.

She also has more than 75 regional productions to her credit, including Anna in The King And I, opposite Lorenzo Lamas, in Maine; Alexa in As Bees in Honey Drown, in Colorado, for which she won the Denver Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Actress in a Play; Kate/Lilli in Kiss Me, Kate, which earned de Benedet an IRNE Award nomination, in Massachusetts; and Turn of the Century at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, opposite Jeff Daniels.

“I’ve had an exciting fall,” de Benedet says, “shooting my first feature film, Creedmoria, in New York City. It’s currently in post-production, and will most likely start on the film festival circuit next year.

“Here are some other current projects – besides learning this one-woman show [Tell Me on a Sunday],” de Benedet added. “I am part of the developmental process of two new plays right now. One stars Jason Alexander and one is with Kate McKinnon from the current cast of Saturday Night Live.

“Being a part of new work is one reason I moved back to NYC 15 years ago. I have had the great fortune of working one-on-one with some of our best-known living playwrights, composers and directors, such as Terrence McNally, Christopher Durang, David Yazbek, Maury Yeston, Jack O’Brien and Tommy Tune.

“The last three Broadway shows I was in [Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Addams Family and Catch Me If You Can], I was part of from the first readings on.”

De Benedet is married to Tom Fitzsimons, also a New York theater professional, but on the technical side. They have a son, William, 19 months old, and live in New York City.

For more information about Rachel de Benedet’s HBPA appearance or to purchase season or single tickets, call 620-327-8158 (Hesston College) or 316-284-5205 (Bethel College) or visit the HBPA website at hesstonbethel.org.

HBPA is funded in part by the cities of Hesston and North Newton; Excel Industries and Hustler Turf Equipment (Hesston); 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 started in 1982 as Hesston Performing Arts (HPA) with funding and planning provided by Hesston College and the Hesston community. In 1998, HPA planners launched a partnership with Bethel College, and the series name changed to Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts. Hesston College in Hesston and Bethel College in North Newton host performances each year.

by Melanie Zuercher, Bethel College