The South Haven Performance Series is welcoming the acclaimed South Bend Chamber Singers for a holiday concert in the sanctuary of Peace Lutheran Church in South Haven on Tuesday, December 20. The glorious strains of Christmas music will begin at 7:30 PM.
Now in its 34th season, The South Bend Chamber Singers groujp is composed of around 30 talented singers from Indiana and Southern Michigan. They represent all ages, from high school students to retirees, and all walks of life. Some are professional musicians but most work in other fields. They unite to share their talent and love for choral music.
The Chamber Singers is an ensemble-in-residence at Saint Mary’s College. Over the past 30-plus years, the Singers have presented major choral-orchestral works such as Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Magnificat, Mass in B Minor, and St. John Passion as well as Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Brahms’ Requiem and Orff’s Carmina Burana. Yet, the ensemble concentrates primarily on works by living composers and regularly commissions new works and unusual and complex arrangements.
Nancy Menk, Music Director, holds the Mary Lou and Judd Leighton Chair in Music at Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana. She also serves as Music Director of the Northwest Indiana Symphony Chorus.
At Saint Mary’s College, Dr. Menk serves as Music Department Chair, conducts the Women’s Choir and the Collegiate Choir, teaches Conducting, and prepares the Madrigal Singers for the annual Christmas Madrigal Dinners. She is Editor of the Saint Mary’s College Choral Series and serves regularly as a guest conductor and choral adjudicator throughout the United States. She has conducted six Carnegie Hall concerts.
The ensemble is accompanied by Kevin J. Vaughn. He is Director of Music and Organist at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in South Bend, and enjoys performing nationally and internationally as a concert artist. Vaughn holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in piano, organ, and sacred music, including the first Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance conferred by the University of Notre Dame.
Performances are provided thanks to the support of the South Haven Community Foundation, corporate sponsors and individual donors. This holiday concert is presented free of charge as a gift to the community. Doors open at 7pm for the 7:30 performance.
Peace Lutheran Church is located at 06321 Blue Star Highway, South Haven, 49090
