State of the Union Choral Program

I am blessed with a great job! For the first time in many years all freshmen must take a fine arts course (I love having the opportunity to engage with so many freshmen), every fall I teach music for elementary school teachers (they are engaging, highly organized :-) and are also having a grand time learning how to play the recorder! Ha!). My voice students are progressing nicely, two voice students (Alexandra Estes and Cody Sizemore) will present a recital on November 19.

If all of that was not enough, I have the privilege of directing three fabulous choirs! Although it is only the middle of October, I have already written a "countdown" on the board listing how many rehearsals we have between now and the Christmas Festival (as well as other upcoming performances). The choir members often tease me about my countdown, but it keeps us all on track and mindful of what we need to accomplish by the time the performances roll around.

Our upcoming choir performances are listed below.

•On October 25th Union Harmony will sing at the joint Homecoming Service at First United Methodist Church in Barbourville.

•November 11th the Union Singers and Union Harmony will be going to Knox Central High School! We will sing a few pieces for their choir and in turn they will sing for us. We will also have time to mingle, if you will, and hopefully recruit some singers!

•December 2nd the Union Singers and Union Harmony will sing in the Atrium of Sharp Academic Center. The Atrium is so beautifully decorated at that time of the year and the mini concert has become a tradition we all look forward to.

•The major concert of the semester is the Christmas Festival, which will be held on Saturday, December 5th at 8:00 PM in Conway Bowman Chapel. The Regional Chorus, Union Singers and Union Harmony will all sing pieces individually and jointly. We will also (as always) have at least two audience sing-alongs of familiar carols.

•The final performance of the semester will be held on Thursday, December 10 (the last day of finals) at the Ugly Mug Coffee House at 7 PM. Harmony sang there on Valentine's Day last year and had a great time!!

There is much preparation ahead of us and yet so much to look forward to -- I love it and I love my hard-working, talented, dedicated singers!

Please enjoy some candid choir rehearsal photos posted below. Oh, and be sure to mark your calendars!