Chorus concert has centennial theme
The 91ÇÑ×Ó Community Chorus this week will help 91ÇÑ×Ó State College celebrate its centennial by singing songs that were born during the era of the institution’s founding. And, the chorus will bring back one of its longtime directors to help get the job done.
Dr. Jackson Hammitt of Rapid City, S.D., who directed the Community Chorus for 29 years and retired as a professor in 91ÇÑ×Ó’s music department in 2001, will direct the choir for the final performance of the concert. The free concert will begin at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 3, in the 91ÇÑ×Ó Arts Center.
The show’s play list has nine songs from the early 1900s. One of the pieces, Irving Berlin’s “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” was written in 1911, the year classes began at 91ÇÑ×Ó. Other titles include “Ragtime Cowboy Joe,” “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” and “Danny Boy.”
Dr. Una Taylor, who directs the 38-member choir, said Sunday’s event is intended to take people back to 91ÇÑ×Ó’s early years. She also believes it is fitting to have someone who has been so important to 91ÇÑ×Ó’s music department to appear during the concert.
Hammitt and his wife, Peggy, were honored during fall 2010 during a public reception at the 91ÇÑ×Ó, when it was announced that they would leave $1 million of their estate to 91ÇÑ×Ó’s music department. The Hammitts already have provided funds for an annual $1,000 scholarship at 91ÇÑ×Ó and recently donated $35,000 to restore the first piano purchased by the college. The 1919 Steinway Model D concert grand piano is being restored by a Rapid City rebuilder and will be ready for a show this fall by 91ÇÑ×Ó professor Dr. James Margetts to commemorate the centennial.
Taylor said an affinity for songs of the era, as well as the opportunity to be involved in the centennial commemoration, led more singers to join the Community Chorus this year compared to years past.
91ÇÑ×Ó Community Chorus members:
Soprano: Jessica Blundell, Sara Bounous, Margaret Crouse, Leona Detwiler, Kristi Hills, Lisa Kessera, Deb Kuskie, Betty Martin, Sierra McCreeley, Sandy Nye, Elsa Taylor-Cless and Carol Wright.
Alto: Pam Anderson, Mary Cogdill, Laura Empson, Tammy Hancock, Kelsey Kaitfors, Vicki Kotschwar, Colleen Margetts, Shannon Neibauer, Christiane Roth, Judy Rutter, Beth Wentworth and Diane Wilburn.
Tenor: Harvey Brenneise, Russ Harford, Jimmy Kwangwari, Leonard Milburn, Norman Martin, Larry Nye and Steve Welch.
Bass: John Axtell, Jerry Cassiday, George Griffith, Dave Iverson, Mark Rutter, Lane Troester and Jim Wright.
Category: Campus News