In the News

Final HBPA event to feature world-renowned South African choir

by Melanie Zuercher, Bethel College

You’ve been hearing them this month on KMUW-FM’s “Global Village,” and now the Soweto Gospel Choir is coming to Bethel College.

The final event in this year’s Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts Series is also the kickoff for the first-ever “Spring into the Arts” Festival, sponsored by the Newton Area Arts Council. The Emmy and Grammy Award-winning choir will be in Bethel’s Memorial Hall March 28 at 7:30 p.m.

According to HBPA director Matthew Schloneger, in a large city, a ticket to see the Soweto Gospel Choir could run $60-100. Tickets for their HBPA appearance are $27, with discounts for students and senior citizens.

Reserved-seating tickets are available at the Hesston College Bookstore (620-327-8158) or through the HBPA website, hesstonbethel.org. Thresher Bookstore in Schultz Student Center on the Bethel campus (316-284-5205) is an outlet for general admission tickets.

Soweto Gospel Choir was formed in November 2002 and released their first album, Voices of Heaven, a month later. Within three weeks of its U.S. debut, in early 2005, the album was at No. 1 on Billboard’s World Music chart.

In the 1980s, fellow South African performers such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo had introduced many in the United States to the lush, tight harmonies of South African vocal music. A Soweto Gospel Choir live performance includes rich vocal performances of traditional South African hymns and Zulu, Xhosa and Sotho gospel songs, along with athletic dance numbers and spectacularly colorful traditional garb.

The choir’s second and third albums, Blessed and African Spirit, won Grammy Awards in 2007 and 2008. Their sixth and most recent release is Divine Decade – Celebrating 10 Years (2012).

Soweto Gospel Choir has performed or recorded with the Black-Eyed Peas, Diana Ross, Bebe Winans, Kirk Franklin, Josh Groban, Celine Dion, Johnny Clegg, Shakira, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Robert Plant, among others. They were a support act for the Red Hot Chili Peppers at concerts in Germany in 2007.

In the United States, the Soweto Gospel Choir has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

The choir has toured the world extensively, performing at prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House and Royal Festival Hall in London, as well as at high-profile festivals such as the Edinburgh Festival, the Adelaide Festival and the Hong Kong Festival.

Soweto Gospel Choir’s collaboration with Peter Gabriel on the song “Down To Earth” in the movie Wall-E won a Grammy in 2008. In February 2009, the choir became the first South African artist or group to perform at the Academy Awards, when they sang “Down To Earth,” nominated for an Oscar, with John Legend.

The choir collaborated with U2 as the featured South African artist on three songs for ESPN’s promotional campaign for the 2010 World Cup, which earned them a Sports Emmy Award in 2011.

Also in 2011, 18 choir members performed six concerts in Maastricht, The Netherlands, with top-selling classical violinist Andre Rieu, joining the Harlem Gospel Choir onstage as a first-time collaboration between these world-famous choirs.

The choir sang at the 2011 launch of their patron, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s, new book, backing Bono on “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” as a surprise for the archbishop. Bono’s word for them was “brilliant.”

Besides praising God and promoting cultural understanding all over the world, Soweto Gospel Choir is dedicated to supporting various charitable organizations. In 2003, the choir set up Nkosi’s Haven/Vukani to raise funds for AIDS orphan establishments that receive no government or private funding.

The choir is currently on an extensive North American tour. After their appearance at Bethel College, they will be in Lawrence and Manhattan, on the campuses of the University of Kansas and Kansas State University.

Soweto Gospel Choir’s appearance in 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; Holiday Inn Express, Newton; 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 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.

Chorale to present hometown Lent concert

The Hesston College Chorale will present their tour concert with a Lent theme at 7 p.m., Thursday, March 20 at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus. The concert is free and open to the public though a free will offering will be collected to help defer tour expenses.

The group will tour Northeast Kansas March 29 to 30.

Chorale is under the direction of Ken Rodgers, and members are: Samantha Aeschliman (Lindsborg, Kan.), Megan Baumgartner (Hesston, Kan.), Eric Cender (Valparaiso, Ind.), Emma Cloud (Chandler, Ariz.), Kristy Clouse (Kalona, Iowa), Isaac Dahl (Archbold, Ohio), Mischa De Jesus (Kalona, Iowa), Dusti Diener (Harrisonville, Mo.), Jessica Donnelly (Woodvillage, Ore.), Bryce Elder (Ottawa, Kan.), Hannah Fenton (Hesston, Kan.), Charissa Graham (Princeton, Ill.), Christina Hershey (Mechanicsburg, Pa.), Marissa Hochstetler (Strang, Neb.), Kayla Kauffman (Hutchinson, Kan.), Cadie Kiger (Jeffersonville, Ind.), Josh Landis (Sterling, Ill.), Cynnandra Luttrell (Tiskilwa, Ill.), Cris Lopez Maldonado (Quito, Ecuador), Dennis Marcellino (Van Nuys, Calif.), Elsa Miller (Millersburg, Ohio), Savannah Mitchell (Groveland, Ill.), David Penner (Moundridge, Kan.), Daniel Ramirez Zea (Valle de Cauca, Colombia), Jacob Rhine (Indianapolis, Ind.), Eyan Roth (Hesston, Kan.), Rachel Short-Miller (Bellingham, Wash.), Jordan Waidelich (Stryker, Ohio), Hannah Weaver (Inola, Okla.), Elisabeth Wilder (Hesston, Kan.), Noah Yoder (Freeman, S.D.) and Steven Yoder (McVeytown, Pa.).

AVDS conference reveals Bible’s eternal truths

by Quinn Katherineberg and Rachel McMaster

In the age of social media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, how does the Bible – an ancient book, thousands of years old – continue to be relevant to common experiences of the contemporary age? That was the question explored by the 190 participants at Hesston College’s Anabaptist Vision and Discipleship Series weekend Feb. 21 to 23.

The weekend’s theme, “Reading the Bible in an Instagram World,” featured the college’s Biblical Literature curriculum. The Bib Lit course intentionally looks at the Bible in its historical context instead of reading stories from a modern understanding. It weaves the Bible together from Genesis to Revelation, moving into church history and the present to reveal the Bible as a narrative of God and the people of God rather than a compilation of stories. Exploring the Bible in this way allows participants to understand stories and situations in their original context to help shape and grow faith and values of believers today.

Attendees had multiple encounters with the cornerstone of the curriculum – the Heilsgeschichte, a German word meaning “salvation history.” The Heilsgeschichte is illustrated through an expansive timeline that shows how individual Biblical stories and events are connected as a larger story.

Presenter Marion Bontrager, faculty member in the college’s Bible and Ministry program, explained the concept with “hat hooks,” as he tried to hang his hat on the timeline only to have it fall to the ground, explaining that while people may know Bible stories well, it is difficult to acknowledge the larger context. “Hooks,” or stories, help the reader remember the entire narrative as a continuous story.

“I appreciated hearing the whole Bible story connected and tying the Bible to our personal stories,” said Christina Litwiller of Salina (Kan.) Mennonite Church.

Bontrager and co-presenter Michele Hershberger, also a Bible and Ministry faculty member, led participants through an inductive Bible study, studying a specific passage and determining the meaning for the original audience and applying the eternal truth to today.

Social media sites like Twitter were used as interactive devices throughout the weekend to formulate discussions as participants live tweeted their thoughts and insights of the discussion, illustrating the Bible’s continued relevance even in the contemporary world.

Breakout sessions gave participants the chance to find ways to deepen their understanding of scripture. Nationally recognized actor and theologian Ted Swartz (Harrisonburg, Va.) led a session on creating theatre out of scripture. Hesston College theatre director Laura Kraybill presented different techniques for reading scripture that make it come to life, including the rate of speech, adding emphasis on certain words and using gestures. Former Hesston College Biblical Literature students Carlota Ponds (Hesston, Kan.) and Rachelle Adrian (Mountain Lake, Minn.) recited the Heilsgeschichte and tied their personal stories in with the Biblical narrative. Del Hershberger (Hesston, Kan.) and Marvin Lorenzana (Harrisonburg, Va.) of Mennonite Mission Network presented on making disciples through prayer, scripture and accountability.

The weekend worship was enhanced by music led by well-known worship leader Jeremy Kempf, a Hesston College graduate and worship leader at Trinity Mennonite Church (Glendale, Ariz.) and Hesston College students.

Swartz also presented dramatic performances throughout the weekend that complemented plenary sessions. “Genre Café,” which also featured Hesston College students explained different interpretations of scripture. Swartz’s one-man show, “Didn’t You Get My Letter? Musings from the Apostle Paul,” presented the Apostle Paul as a man often misunderstood. Through his 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 show allowed the audience to better understand Paul’s passion, pains, doubts and unshakable belief in the church and the power of love.

Many participants expressed appreciation for the weekend’s contents allowing them to view the Bible in a new light.

“Bib Lit is an important class for faith formation at any stage in a person’s faith journey,” said David Horst of Journey at Yoder (Kan.) Mennonite Church and a Hesston College graduate and former Bib Lit student. “This weekend was a good reminder of God’s faithfulness to his people in any age.”

Brown to present “I Go On Singing” Paul Robeson tribute in Colorado

Internationally acclaimed baritone Anthony Brown will present “I Go On Singing,” an original tribute to the popular African American performer and civil rights activist Paul Robeson at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 28, March 1 and 8 and at 2 p.m. March 2 and 9 in the Aurora Fox Arts Center, 9900 E Colfax Ave., Aurora, Colo.

Hesston College alumni and friends will gather with Brown for a reception following the March 2 concert. President Howard Keim, Vice President of Advancement Vonnie Sieber, Alumni Director Dallas Stutzman and Development Officer Phyllis Weaver will offer campus and campaign updates. Group rate tickets ($20) are available for Hesston alumni and friends. Call 303-739-1970 to order.

Brown’s tribute to Robeson, all-American athlete, scholar, champion orator, international recording artist and star of the stage and screen during the 1930s and 40s, written for Brown by playwright Andrew Flack. Brown’s telling of Robeson’s story is a 75-minute song-filled, multi-media presentation that reveals him as a towering figure in 20th century American history.

Accompanied by a pianist, photo projection and a narrator, “I Go On Singing” is equal parts historical documentary and live concert experience. Using Robeson’s own words from his autobiography “Here I Stand” and comments from legendary peace activist and artist Pete Seeger, the show traces Robeson’s humble beginnings as a preacher’s son in Princeton, N.J., to his international celebrity and pioneering activism on the world stage.

Brown is an international promoter of peace, Hesston College sociology faculty member and artist in residence and founder of Peacing It Together Foundation, an organization that serves the global community as a resource for peace and social justice. He uses music and the spoken word to bring people together across the divides of race, culture and religion. His travels have taken him to countries such as Bosnia, Moldova, Northern Ireland, Uganda, Ethiopia, the Philippines, China, Japan, South Korea and Colombia, where he has seen music transform and heal.

“I Go On Singing” premiered to inspiring reviews in Princeton, N.J., in 2011 and at Wichita’s Orpheum Theatre in Feb. 2012.

“We were very fortunate to have witnessed Mr. Brown’s portrayal of the music, life, and times of Paul Robeson,” said Benjamin J. Colbert, chairman of The Paul Robeson House Committee in Princeton. “His performance in ‘I Go On Singing’ brings new life and inspiration to a generation of admirers.”

“Anthony Brown is a treasure,” said Patricia Fernandez-Kelly, Ph.D of Princeton University. “Endowed with a superb baritone voice, he has assembled an exquisite show that celebrates Paul Robeson and his times. Instructive and deeply touching, Mr. Brown’s performance is extraordinary. More people should have the opportunity to witness it.”

Photo release - International celebration

Hesston College students Sho Ishihara (Gunma-ken, Japan), Ayaka Senoo (Kanagawa-ken, Japan), Narumi Hayano (Kiyosu-shi, Japan), Danika Saucedo Salas (Santa Cruz, Bolivia), Shikou Morishita (Tokyo, Japan), Misaki Hirayama (Chiba, Japan) and Kento Ueda (Miyahi-ken, Japan) merge their cultures during the college’s annual Cultures Fair Feb. 20. International students shared their customs, culture, music and food with the campus community during the celebration. More than 60 international students from 17 countries are part of the Hesston College community during the 2013-14 year.

Hesston College Theatre weaves famous comedy into a circus

by Quinn Kathrineberg

Hesston College Theatre will present five performances of Molière’s seventeenth century comedy, “Tartuffe,” directed by Laura Kraybill, Feb. 26, 28, March 1 and 2 in the Northlawn Studio Theatre on the Hesston College campus.

The play, first performed in 1664, follows the story of a wealthy household who gets tricked by an imposter named Tartuffe claiming to be very pious and religious. Trouble ensues when Tartuffe tries to steal the family’s money and seduce the women.

Kraybill says the show is fast-paced, high energy and is physically comedic.

“Tartuffe is three-ring circus meets Hunger Games meets Cirque du Soleil,” said Kraybill.

Though not originally written with a circus in mind, the Hesston College production uses the ridiculous characters to portray a circus, including live circus acts of unicycle, ribbon twirling and juggling before and during the performances. The audience will also have the opportunity to get involved in the action during the intermission.

King Louis XIV of France banned the original production of the play because it shed a negative light on religion. Molière’s intentions for they play, however, were to highlight religious hypocrisy. The play was rewritten to the king’s standards and was allowed to be performed in 1669, becoming one of the most famous comedies in dramatic literature.

Show times are 7 p.m. Feb. 26, 28 and March 1, 2 p.m. March 1 and 3 p.m. March 2.

“Tartuffe” is rated PG for adult themes. Running time is about two and a half hours including a 10-minute intermission.

Ticket prices are $10 for adults and seniors and $5 for students. Tickets can be purchased through the Hesston College Bookstore in person, by phone at 620-327-8105 or online at books.hesston.edu. Tickets will also be available at the door 45 minutes prior to each show and are subject to availability.

Cast and crew

Actors:
Mme Pernelle, Orgon’s mother – Michele Hershberger (faculty)
Orgon, Elmire’s husband – JD Hershberger (sophomore, Hesston, Kan.)
Elmire, Orgon’s wife – Taylor Zehr (freshman, Wauseon, Ohio)
Damis, Orgon’s son – Megan Goodrich (sophomore, Buchanan, Mich.)
Mariane, Orgon’s daughter – Rachelle Adrian (freshman, Mountain Lake, Minn.)
Valere, in love with Mariane – Rachel Jantzi (faculty)
Cleante, Orgon’s brother-in-law – Nancy Zhong (freshman, Chengdu, China)
Tartuffe, a hypocrite – Nathanael Ressler (sophomore, Mount Vernon, Ill.)
Dorine, Mariane’s lady’s-maid – Savannah Sizer (freshman, Littleton, Colo.)
M. Loyal, a bailiff – Brent Yoder (faculty)
Police officer/Flipote, maid – Becca Slabaugh (sophomore, Goshen, Ind.)
Circus crew – Stephen Cabe (sophomore, Niles, Mich.), Todd Lehman (staff)

Crew
Stage Manager – Charissa Graham (freshman, Princeton, Ill.)
Tech Director – Megan Tyner (faculty)
Light Design – Ethan Koerner (faculty)
Make-up/costume crew – Havela Lehman (freshman, Keizer, Ore.), Heather Dussinger (freshman, New Holland, Pa.), Rachel Jantzi (freshman, Hendersonville, N.C.)
Stage crew – Amber Davis (sophomore, Crawfordsville, Iowa)
Props/hair manager – Kristy Clouse (freshman, Kalona, Iowa)
Sound operator – Austin Brinkman (sophomore, Bloomington, Ill.)
Light board operator – Yuu Sakaguchi (freshman, Isehara, Japan)

Hesston College receives grant for renovation project

Hesston College has been selected as a recipient of a $500,000 grant from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation in Tulsa, Okla., for the impending construction of a new campus entrance and renovation of the Northlawn performing arts building.

The total cost of the project is $3.8 million. Large lead gift commitments totaling $1.52 million were made to the college by Excel Industries, Inc. (Hesston, Kan.) and Jayco, Inc. (Middlebury, Ind.), as well as other charitable donors, which enabled college administrators to make the grant proposal to the Mabee Foundation. With the grant and another $580,000 in donor commitments, Hesston College has about $1.2 million left to raise by its December 2014 deadline in order to begin renovation work in late 2014.

Hesston College President Dr. Howard Keim and Vice President of Advancement Yvonne Sieber made the grant proposal on Nov. 5 along with Excel Industries Vice President Bob Mullet.

“Mabee received a large number of grant proposals this year and we are pleased that they chose Hesston College as one of the grant recipients,” said Keim.

The Mabee Foundation’s purposes are to aid Christian religious organizations, charitable organizations, institutions of higher learning, hospitals and other organizations of a general charitable nature.

Original construction of Northlawn, home to the college’s music and theatre programs, was completed in 1971, and is the only building on campus to not have received renovations or new construction in 31 years. Updates will include new windows, HVAC system and other energy saving measures; acoustical work to isolate and calibrate sound; creation of dedicated spaces for instrument storage, theatre, Campus Worship, choirs and Concert Band; an additional classroom and student gathering spaces. The college hopes renovations will be completed in August 2015 in time for the 2015-16 academic year.

The new campus entrance will be constructed on the north end of campus next to Northlawn. The project will increase visibility to the campus from the main road running past campus, improve aesthetics and add additional parking and a drop-off area to better serve visitors.

The college has assembled a steering committee of alumni and donors who will help with planning and fundraising for the project. Steering committee members are Cindy Hawkins, chair, (Middlebury, Ind.), Kere Frey (Chicago), Jon Helmuth (Cassopolis, Mich.), Alicia and Zach Hurst (Lancaster, Pa.), Ken Kabira (Naperville, Ill.), Dorel and Phyllis Neufeld (Halstead, Kan.), Seth and Abby Troyer (Wakarusa, Ind.), Sharon and Carl Weaver (Halstead, Kan.), Peter and Rheta Mae Wiebe (Glendale, Ariz.), Anita Yoder (Goshen, Ind.) and Brent and Rachel Yoder (Hesston, Kan.) and college representatives Sieber, Tonya Detweiler and Ken Rodgers.

HBPA to host guitar quartet sensation

The world-renowned and Grammy Award-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet will perform as part of the Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts season lineup at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 27, on the Hesston College campus in the Hesston Mennonite Church Sanctuary.

For more than 30 years, the quartet has been hailed as one of the most multifaceted groups in any genre performing from bluegrass to Bach with a repertoire including Latin, African, Far East, Irish, Folk and American Classic work.

The group won a Grammy Award in 2005 for Best Classical Crossover CD with “Guitar Heroes” and were nominated in 2006 for “LAGQ: Latin.” Their 2010 recording of the Rodrigo “Concierto Andaluz” and Sergio Assad’s “Interchange,” written specifically for them, climbed to the top spot on the Billboard charts.

The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet formed in 1980 at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California (Los Angeles) and is comprised of four uniquely accomplished musicians – John Dearman, Matthew Greif, William Kanengiser and Scott Tennant – who also have solo and teaching careers.

Dearman lends a versatility to the group by performing on a unique seven-string guitar with extended upper and lower registers. He is director of the Guitar Chamber Music program at California State University, Northridge (Los Angeles).

Greif is a trained classical guitarist who also has extensive background in jazz, rock, flamenco and bluegrass. His recording of “Permanent Transition” features duo improvisations with Andrew York and Dusan Bogdanovic. Greif was named Outstanding Graduate of the USC guitar department where he studied with quartet members William Kanengiser and Scott Tennant among others. He teaches classical and jazz guitar at Cal State University, Dominguez Hills.

Kanengiser is professor at the USC Thornton School of Music and acclaimed recording artist and soloist whose recordings range from music of the Old World to the Caribbean. He has also earned critical acclaim for his unique arrangements for solo guitar and guitar quartets, for producing two instructional videos for “Hot Licks” and for his featured role as the classical guitarist in the 1986 film “Crossroads.” Kanengiser is one of the few guitarists who have won the Concert Artists Guild New York Competition.

Tennant is an in-demand solo artist, author of the five-part “Scott Tennant’s Basic Classical Guitar Method” and the best-selling book and video “Pumping Nylon” – a technical handbook for classical guitar – and teaches as the USC Thornton School of Music.

Thanks to a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet will also perform outreach concerts to students at Slate Creek Elementary School (Newton, Kan.) at 1 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 27, and at South Breeze Elementary School (Newton) at 11 a.m., Friday, Feb. 28.

Tickets are available from $23 to $27 with discounts available for students and senior citizens at 620-327-8158 (Hesston College), 316-284-5205 (Bethel College), hbpa@hesston.edu or by visiting the HBPA website at hesstonbethel.org.

The Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts Series, now in its 32nd year, is a collaborative effort of Hesston College and Bethel College, presenting five performances by world-renowned or regionally acclaimed artists each year. HBPA is funded in part by the cities of Hesston and North Newton, Excel Industries and Hustler Turf Equipment (Hesston), the Hesston Community Foundation, area patrons, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, which receives support from the NEA.

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.