CI's Annual Winter Choir Presentation
Camarillo, Calif., November 29, 2016 — The ethereal strains under the musical piece “Stars” will be created with water glasses, one of several twists for CSU Channel Islands’ (CI) annual winter choir presentation.
The public is invited to “Bach to Africa” on Monday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in Malibu Hall Room 140 located on the CI campus, and Sunday, Dec. 11 from 3 to 5 p.m. at St. Columba’s Episcopal Church at 1251 Las Posas Rd., Camarillo.
The multi-faceted “Bach to Africa” will be performed by the 55-member CSU Channel Islands University Chorus, which is comprised of students, faculty, staff and musically-inclined community members.
The free concert is titled “Bach to Africa” as a nod to the diverse music selections, which range from a piece that includes African drums to Johann Sebastian Bach's Motet Number 1, Signet dem Herrn ein neues Lied a technically and musically challenging piece performed by a double choir.
“I integrated African drumming into this program in hopes of presenting a concert of choral music of both Western and not-Western tradition in order to give our students, as well as our audience a diverse taste of great choral and fun music,” said KuanFen Liu, Assistant Professor of Performing Arts, who holds a doctorate in Musical Arts.
CI’s Labata Beats African Drumming Ensemble features an eclectic mix of students on African drums who will accompany the singers on three pieces. Among the musicians are International students from Norway, Germany, Puerto Rico and Guatemala.
Performing Arts Lecturer Raymond McNamara, who teaches the African Drumming class, said he’s proud of the diversity in his class, especially considering the divisiveness in the nation right now.
“In light of current events I try first and foremost to promote community and celebrate diversity,” said McNamara. “Drums are rhythmic, primal. And if you go back far enough, we all came out of Africa.”
One highlight of the concert is “Stars” by composer Eriks Esenvalds, lyrics by Sara Teasdale.
“We actually are going to use six CI students from our Study Abroad program to play the glasses and the African drums at our holiday concert,” Liu said. “The students playing the glasses using their fingertips along the rims are from Germany, Norway and Sweden.”
Tickets are free to students and anyone 18 and under. A $20 donation is suggested to help with music education outreach to area schools.
# # #
About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands(CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CI's Social Media.