By Elisabeth Zarnoti '17

The Knox College Choir is traveling to Italy to perform a broad repertoire of arranged classic and contemporary music as part of its 2015 tour. The 48-voice choir is directed by Laura Lane, professor of music and director of choral activities at Knox.

The spring break tour is an annual event for the choir, and gives students the opportunity to travel with peers to various destinations and perform their best works. Recent performances include the Midwest tour of 2014, Carnegie Hall in New York City in 2013, and trips to Barcelona, Spain, in 2006, 2008, 2011, and 2012.

While in Italy, the students are performing a variety of works composed by Irish, Italian, and British composers and incorporate water-tuned glass chimes for "Stars" by Latvian composer Eriks Esenvalds. The choir will perform from a repertoire that reaches from 16th century classic works to rearranged traditional and contemporary songs such as Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" (arranged by Philip Lawson).

The Choir will perform in the Duomo cathedral in Termo, the Basilica of San Paolino in Lucca, and the Auditorium of the Conservatorio Di Musica A. Casella in L'Aquila. In between performances, students will be able to sightsee and experience Italian culture for 10 days.

The Choir's Home Tour Concert will be at 7:30 p.m. on March 27 in Kresge Recital Hall, Ford Center for the Fine Arts, on the Knox campus.

Pictured above: (1) J'maw Moses '14 and Rose Dolezal '14 discuss the team-building games they'll lead on the bus ride to Chicago as the choir departs for their Spring 2015 tour of Italy; (2) Choir member Rebekah Mahon loads her bags onto the bus; (3) Laura Lane, professor of music and director of choral activities at Knox.

Spring Break 2015 Tour Itinerary

Wednesday, March 18 at 6:00 p.m.
Auditorium of the Conservatorio Di Musica A. Casella
L'Aquila, Italy

Thursday, March 19 at 6:00 p.m.
Auditorium del Conservatorio "L. D'Annunzio"
Pescara, Italy

Friday, March 20 at 9:00 p.m.
Duomo
Teramo, Italy

Sunday, March 22 at 11:30 a.m.
Basilica of San Paolino
Lucca, Italy

Sunday, March 22 at 9:00 p.m.
Chiesa de Santa Maria del Carmine
Pisa, Italy

Monday, March 23 at 9:00 p.m.
Basilica of San Paolino
Lucca, Italy

Friday, March 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Home Tour Concert
Kresge Recital Hall, CFA
Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois
Free and open to the public

Program Selections

"Angelus ad pastores ait," by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck.
"Alma Redemptoris Mater," by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.
"O Magnum Mysterium," by Kevin Memley.

Chamber Singers repertoire:
"Bogoroditse Djevo," by Arvo Pärt.
"Ubi caritas," by Ola Gjeilo.
"Quel augellin," by Claudio Monteverdi.
"Missa Brevis," by composer Healey Willan.
"Bohemian Rhapsody," by Queen, arranged by Philip Lawson.

Knox College Choir repertoire:
"Stetit Angelus," by Rihards Dubra.
"Stars," by Eriks Esenvalds.
"For the Beauty of the Earth," by Philip Stopford.
"Incantations," from Celtic Mass by Michael McGlynn.
"Sarba pe scaun," arranged by Alehandru Pascanu.
"Va Pensiero," from Nabucco, by Giuseppi Verdi.
"Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal," arranged by Alice Parker.
"Wade in de Water," arranged Allen Koepke.

Knox College Choir Participants

Laura Lane, conductor.
Casey Dierlam, accompanist.

Soprano
Emily Antoff, Winona, Minnesota
*Paula Castaños, Gurnee, Illinois
Miranda Curtis, Raleigh, North Carolina
Makenzie Goldstein, Denver, Colorado
Becky Hixon, Davenport, Iowa
*Mary Houlihan, Aurora, Illinois
Katarina Ignacek, Evergreen, Colorado
Hansini Krishna, Roselle, Illinois
*Clare Odin, Woodbury, Minnesota
*Martina Bergstrom, Topeka, Kansas
Ashaunti Roby, Chicago, Illinois
*Erin Smith, Bloomington, Illinois
Cassidy Snyder, St. Louis, Missouri
Catlin Watts, Chicago, Illinois

Alto
Dy'Anna Augustus, Chicago, Illinois
Lara Braverman, Vernon Hills, Illinois
*Rosie Castle, Denver, Colorado
Liliana Coelho, Iowa City, Iowa
*Rose Dolezal, Columbia, Missouri
*Ellen Fischer, Chicago, Illinois
*Danielle Freeman, Buffalo Grove, Illinois
Erin Frey, Louisville, Kentucky
Maureen Herbert, Omaha, Nebraska
Rachel Horne, Redmond, Washington
Michiko Li, Tokyo, Japan
Rebekah Mahon, Olympia Fields, Illinois
*Caitlyn Morgan, Geneva, Illinois
*Madeline Pape, Portland, Oregon
Haley Richter, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Kati Stemple, Belvidere, Illinois

Tenor
Abenicio Casias, Denver, Colorado
*Clint Davis, Washington, Illinois
Lee Foxall, Portland, Oregon
*Danni Gilmour, Mount Morris, Illinois
*Sam Hart, Galesburg, Illinois
Tommy Hintz, Geneva, Illinois
*Ben Lambert, La Grange, Illinois
Zak Metalsky, Appleton, Wisconsin

Bass
Ryan Burnley, Oak Park, Illinois
Eric Coats, Chicago, Illinois
Jack Harman, Burbank, California
*Alexander Heston, Los Angeles, California
Miguel Jimenez, Skokie, Illinois
*Jmaw Moses, Clinton, Maryland
*Aidan Murphy, Prairie View, Illinois
Dakota Stipp, Galesburg, Illinois
*McLeod Sumner, Portland, Oregon
Max Wallace, Watseka, Illinois

*member of Chamber Singers