SVCC is pleased to host the Berea College Choir in concert Wednesday, April 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the King Community Center auditorium. The Berea Concert Choir is a mixed ensemble of approximately sixty singers who perform a variety of music, both sacred and secular, from a range of historical periods. They are under the conductorship of Stephen Bolster. The choir’s performance schedule includes numerous on-campus appearances and a concert tour each spring. In four decades, the group has given inspirational performances throughout the US, Canada, and Europe.
For their performance at Southwest, the Berea Choir will be joined by members of the SVCC Community Chorus under the directorship of Dr. Joseph Trivette. The mass choir will perform the famous folk tune Danny Boy and Mullholland’s Red, Red, Rose. Trivette, Southwest’s Albert Endowed Chair in Music, states, “We are thrilled to host this noteworthy choir, and particularly pleased to have the opportunity to perform with them. Noting that Wednesday night is church night for many of our area choirs and others, we are hopeful that some area churches could include this mostly sacred concert performed by a Christian college choir into their evening worship.”
Berea College is distinctive among institutions of higher learning. Founded in 1855 as the first interracial and coeducational college in the South, Berea charges no tuition, admitting academically promising students, primarily from Appalachia, who may have limited economic resources. Berea is an independent, nonsectarian college with an inclusive Christian character, expressed in its motto "God has made of one blood all peoples of the Earth." Berea's primary service region is the Southern Appalachian region, but students come from all states in the U.S. and in a typical year, from more than 60 other countries.
The SVCC service region is home to a number of Berea alumni, including college president Dr. Mark Estepp and his wife Trish. “The two most important colleges in both my and Trish’s lives are SVCC and Berea College. It is an honor to have the Berea College Choir here.”
The concert is free and the public is encouraged to attend.