Northwestern College A cappella Choir to present touring concert

Northwestern College’s A cappella Choir will perform its touring concert in Christ Chapel on Friday, March 16, at 7:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The 75-minute concert will include the choir’s full spring tour program of sacred choral music, songs of humor and virtuosity, songs from Taiwan and gospel spirituals. Several pieces, including “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” “The Apple of Daddy’s Eye,” “Baba Yetu,” “City Called Heaven,” and the ensemble’s traditional closing hymn, “Beautiful Savior,” will include solos.

The 43-member choir’s spring tour, covering more than 3,500 miles, includes performances in five states: South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The ensemble will present five full concerts, four masterclasses with high school choirs, three joint concerts with high school choirs, one joint concert with a university choir, and one music program during a church worship service.

“This program will be a treat for the audience to hear, as it includes a wide range of really interesting and varied choral works in different languages and styles,” says Dr. Thomas Holm, professor of music and director of the A cappella Choir. “The concert will also include stories of the tour experience from several students.”

Holm joined Northwestern’s faculty in 2000 after serving as director of choirs at The King’s University College in Edmonton, Alberta, and as chair of the fine arts department and music professor at Prairie Bible College in Three Hills, Alberta, Canada. He earned a doctoral degree from the University of Illinois, master’s degrees from the University of Alberta and the University of Idaho, and a bachelor’s degree from Big Sky Bible College.