FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, February 21, 2008
MESSIAH FESTIVAL AT BETHANY TO INCLUDE LECTURE ON COMPOSERS
LINDSBORG, Kan.—Audiences are invited to learn more about the composers and music of the oratorios that make up part of the Messiah Festival of Music and Art at Bethany College.
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| Michael Shasberger |
On March 20, renowned educator and conductor Michael Shasberger will give a lecture on George Frideric Handel and J.S. Bach, titled “Conversion and Conviction: Two Composers, Two Paths, Two Testimonies.”
The event will be held at 10:30 a.m. in Lindquist Hall. It is free and open to the public.
“Bethany College is honored to host a lecturer of the caliber of Michael Shasberger, and I hope that many supporters of the Messiah Festival will take advantage of this opportunity to learn about how the faiths of Handel and Bach influenced the works we sing to celebrate Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday,” said Dan Mahraun, D.M.A., conductor of the Bethany Oratorio Society.
An active conductor, educator, composer and singer, Shasberger serves as the Adams Chair of Music and Worship at Westmont College, Santa Barbara, Calif. He is artistic director of the Denver Bach Society, and director emeritus of the Musica Sacra Chamber Orchestra of Denver.
Shasberger has considerable experience as a performer in professional opera, oratorio and musical theater. He has been a resident artist with the Indianapolis and Arkansas Opera Companies, and has performed professionally with several vocal chamber ensembles in concerts throughout the western United States and in England. He currently sings with the Santa Barbara-based Vocal Scholars quintet.
Orchestras and choirs under his direction, including those from Westmont College, Augustana Lutheran Church, Butler University, Colorado Christian University and Hendrix College, have appeared at numerous regional and national conventions, and toured in Europe, Latin America and the United States. He has been a guest conductor with the Fine Arts Chamber Orchestra of Mexico City, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Lithuanian National Chamber Orchestra, Estonian Chamber Orchestra, Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra and the Ft. Wayne Philharmonic, among others, as well as preparing choirs for performance with the Indianapolis and Arkansas Symphony orchestras.
Shasberger previously has served as a visiting faculty member at the University of Colorado atBoulder, directing the University Choir and University Chamber Singers, as well as holding the position of resident scholar on the university faculty, serving as director of the school’s Musica international choral music database project. His scholarly work has been presented at state, regional and national conventions of the Music Educators National Conference and the American Choral Directors Association.
Shasberger earned his bachelor’s degree in music from St. Olaf College, his master’s degree from Redlands University and his doctorate from the University of Southern California.
The 127th consecutive annual season of Handel’s “Messiah” by the Bethany Oratorio Society will be held March 16 and 23 at 3 p.m. in Presser Hall auditorium on the Bethany College campus. The Bethany Oratorio Society will perform Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion” March 21 at 7:30 p.m. The Messiah Festival of Music and Art also includes art exhibitions, theater performances and ensemble concerts. For a full schedule of events, visit www.bethanylb.edu/messiah.
Tickets for Bethany College’s performances of Handel’s “Messiah” and Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion” are now on sale. Tickets can be purchased at Presser Hall Box Office on Bethany’s campus, open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.; by phone at (800) 585-3737; or online at www.starticketsplus.com. Special rates are available for students, seniors, churches and tour groups by calling (785) 227-3311.
Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The mission of Bethany College is to nurture and challenge individuals in their search for truth and meaning as they lead lives of faith, learning and service. Bethany College is on the Web at www.bethanylb.edu.
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