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CMU spring concert celebrates wonder and mystery in music

Winnipeg, May 1, 2013 – Four choirs from Canadian Mennonite University’s School of Music presented a concert celebrating the mystery and wonder of music Saturday night.

“We often use words like wonder and mystery to describe our experiences of music,” said CMU President Dr. Cheryl Pauls. “But we also connect a sense of wonder and mystery with those places where we experience the spirit of the Lord.”

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The phrase Where the Spirit of the Lord Is provided the overall theme for the evening, and was also the theme for all CMU chapel services this year.

The theme was highlighted by the performance of Psalm 46 by the CMU Singers, composed by CMU faculty member Timothy Corlis.

Commissioned for CMU’s Worship + Imagination conference in February, the piece features a variety of percussion instruments, including handbells and a gong.

_DSC0035 copyDr. Janet Brenneman is Dean of the School of Music at CMU and conducts the CMU Women’s Chorus and the CMU Chamber Choir.

“We are proud of the way our students continue to carry on CMU’s rich tradition of choral music,” she said.

“It’s exciting to see so many students engaging with choral music at such a high level. This year’s spring concert was an exceptional performance and a wonderful inclusion to the weekend’s graduation ceremonies.”

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Annual Spring Concert Draws Full House

April 25, 2012 – Canadian Mennonite University welcomed an enthusiastic audience to University’s annual Spring Concert, eld in the CMU Loewen Athletic Centre on April 21.

“The School’s choirs and ensembles entertained our audience with a delightful selection of songs from their vast repertoires,” said Dean of the CMU School of Music, Dr. Dietrich Bartel.

In his opening comments, Bartel drew attention to the healing power of music, inviting the audience to “actively participate, not just by listening to a showcase of what has been going on in CMU’s School of Music in the past year, but by allowing yourself to be taken to different places; different places around the world, but also to different places inside of yourself.”

Bartel reminded the audience that “we are all in need of God’s healing power, and we are all in need of music.”
School of Music Dean, Dr. Dietrich Bartel

All four choirs – the CMU Chamber Choir and CMU Men’s Chorus with Conductor Rudy Schellenberg, and CMU Singers and CMU Women’s Chorus with Conductor Janet Brenneman – were part of the evening’s entertainment.

The crowd showed their appreciation for the CMU choirs, and as well for the talented performances by the popular CMU ensembles: the seven-member CMU Guitar Ensemble (Willie Wiebe, Director), the CMU Jazz Band (Chad Pollard, Director) and CMU’s nine-member Wholly Jazz vocal group (Cynthia Wahl, Director).
Conductor Rudy Schellenberg leads the CMU Chamber Choir

CMU conductors featured a number of students performing as soloists throughout the evening, helping to represent and showcase the exceptional talent of CMU music students. Among these was CMU 2012 graduating student Daniel Trolly (Bachelor of Music) who conducted a performance by the CMU Chamber Choir.