January 24, 2017 Comments 0 Herman Aguilar 2348 Views

University Singers Prepare for Composer’s Song Premier at Music Festival

Last year’s performance of A Night at the Meyerson will be eclipsed by the spectacle on Feb. 26.

(reported jointly by Herman Aguilar, Jordan Greene, and Elanith Wong)

The Southwestern Adventist University Singers are preparing for the premier of Latvian composer Erik Esenvalds’ newest choral composition. The song was written exclusively for the University Singers, and will be performed at the Meyerson Symphony Center as part of SWAU’s annual Music Festival. The annual Music Festival culminates with the traditional concert on Sunday, Feb. 26 featuring SWAU’s Festival Choir and Symphony Orchestra. The concert benefits music scholarships for students of all academic disciplines. The University Singers had the opportunity to do a clinic with Esenvalds last year, and are very excited to be working with him again.

Composer Erik Esenvalds

Esenvalds has climbed his way to the top of the composing world, having won multiple awards for his many compositions. His pieces are performed on almost every continent, and he has commissioned pieces for many major choirs around the world. The SWAU University Singers will be the latest addition to those choirs.

Jonathan Wall, chair of the music department and choir director, will be leading and attending his eighth Meyerson performance this year. Wall has been part of this ensemble since he arrived at Southwestern in 2010. “Being able to perform at the Meyerson with my choir students is always such a great honor and one of the performances I look forward to every year,” says Wall.

According to Wall, being part of something amazing like the Meyerson brings a lot of great moments and memories, but there is one that stands out in particular to him. “Seeing the face of gratitude and the aspect of hard work from my students pay off after they perform is the best feeling and memory I get to experience every time we perform at the Meyerson,” says Wall.

This year “A Night at the Meyerson” takes place on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. and you can now purchase tickets at http://musicfestival.swau.edu/tickets1.