By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
It’s a busy week for the Fort Hays State Department of Music as the bands and choirs prepare for concerts.
The first of the performances is set for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday when FHSU choirs are set to take the stage in the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center.
“You'll hear the Smoky Hill Chorale and then both choirs, the Concert Choir and the Fort Hays Singers. They're going to do a combined effort with the Fort Hays Singers singing songs in between each of the songs by the Concert Choir,” said Terry Crull, associate professor of music and director of choral activities.
The breaks will allow a special presentation during the concert.
“We're doing that because we've got two special choir segments ... three monologues by our own Dr. (Timothy) Rolls, Shakespearean monologues. They were scenes from three Shakespeare plays that he set to music and this will be a world-premiere of his latest composition,” Crull said.
There are also set to perform three numbers that will feature poetry by Sara Teasdale.
Crull said she is a poet who “choral composers love to set to choral music.”
The choir will also perform a piece by Elaine Hagen Bergman by Z. Randall Stroope and another by Andrea Ramsay.
“Our young singers will have worked with both Elaine Hagberg and Andrea Ramsey in All-State choirs, which happened last weekend, although it was Anton Armstrong who directed last Saturday for our All-Staters. They've both been great composers and conductors and kids love singing their music because they're singers themselves and choir directors, so they know how to write for choirs.”
He said those more serious pieces will be offset by lighthearted tunes.
“We've got some folk songs from a fun arrangement of Alouette, the French folk tune, to Way Up on Old Smokey and I Lost my True Lover by Sparking Too Slow, an old country-western,” Crull said.
Then at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, the FHSU bands will present their spring concert.
“Peter Lillpopp will have both of those bands in shape, assisted by our newest assistant band director, Dr. Ryan Pearson, who's been teaching drum percussion ensemble here and just applied and received and accepted the position,” Crull said. “So we've got a new band director to place our dearly departed Jeff Jordan, who passed away last December.”
Crull hopes the community will show to support both performances.
“I just want to I want to invite people to come out and support our kids,” Crull said. “They do great music.”
“They work hard and we're proud of them,” he said. “So we hope you'll come in support our kids and hear some great music.”
Both events are free of charge and open to the public.
For more information about the FHSU Music Department, visit the FHSU website, fhsu.edu.