Annual Fall Choral Concert set for Sunday, Oct. 24

ASHLAND, Ohio – This Sunday afternoon, Oct. 24, marks the return of choral concerts at Ashland University, as the Fall Choral Concert will take place at Jack and Deb Miller Chapel. The event is free and open to the public, and it will be the first indoor choral concert on campus since the onset of the COVID pandemic.

“The singers are excited to share their music with an audience after a long hiatus,” stated Rowland Blackley, director of choral activities and professor of music at Ashland.

Three choral ensembles are scheduled to perform on Sunday: the Ashland Area Chorus, the Ashland University Women’s Chorus and the Ashland University Choir.

The Ashland Area Chorus, a mix of students and community members, will perform three songs with pianist Deborah Logan, including George Frideric Handel’s “O Come, Let Us Sing Unto the Lord.”

The AU Women’s Chorus, which unites women singers from across campus, is under the leadership of new director Abigail Helbling. Alongside pianist Susan Gregg, the group’s three-piece set starts with Z. Randall Stroope’s inspiring “Inscription of Hope,” based on text believed to have been scrawled on a wall by a child hiding from the Nazis.

The AU Choir, comprised of students selected via audition and representing numerous academic majors, will perform six songs, including works such as “How Can I Keep from Singing,” also arranged by Stroope, and “Sure on This Shining Night” by Samuel Barber.

Ashland University is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.