LMC’s Visual & Performing Arts Department to present a haunting concert collaboration on Oct. 24

 

BENTON HARBOR, MICH. – With an air of mystery, foreboding, and a touch of suspense, the Something Wicked This Way Comes Choir Concert will envelop the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center Jenkins Theatre at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24. 

 

The free public performance is a collaboration between the LMC Visual & Performing Arts Department and the Michigan Vocal Music Association District 6 Middle School Honors Choir Invitational. It will feature the LMC Vocal Chamber, LMC Concert Choir, and voices of more than 50 top middle school choir students from across the area.  

 

“We are thrilled to present this collaboration with the MSVMA District 6 Middle School Honors Choir Invitational. It promises to be a rich, varied concert experience that explores different facets of the Something Wicked This Way Comes theme, from the ominous to the playfully spooky,” stated Rebecca Derbas-Selvidge, LMC music lecturer and choir director.  

 

The repertoire spans the spectrum of classical, contemporary, folk, and pop adaptations. Among planned selections are “Lacrimosa” from WA Mozart's The Requiem in D minor, K. 626, “Double Trouble” from the movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, "Night Vision" by Stephen Chatman, the Tears for Fears modern rock classic “Mad World,” the jazz standard “Old Devil Moon,” and a collaborative performance between the Middle School Honors Choir and LMC Concert Choir of “Glorious,” composed by Masa Fukuda.  

 

Students are selected for the Michigan Vocal Music Association District 6 Middle School Honors Choir by their choir directors to participate in the all-day experience being held this year at LMC. The day culminates for the students in a public concert performance. The Invitational Choir is directed by guest conductor Duane Davis. 

 

Derbas-Selvidge directs LMC Vocal Chamber and LMC Concert Choir. LMC Vocal Chamber is comprised of LMC students and draws from the standard choral repertoire including madrigals, motets, folk songs, spirituals, and jazz. LMC Concert Choir is a mixed-voice choral ensemble comprised of LMC students and community members from throughout Berrien County and beyond. 

 

Tickets are not required for this free general admission event. 

 

About the directors 

Rebecca Derbas-Selvidge, director of LMC Vocal Chamber and LMC Concert Choir, holds a Bachelor of Music in Choral Education degree from Western Michigan University, a Master of Arts degree from the University of South Florida, and a Certificate of Musical Theatre Performance from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.  

 

She has performed with various ensembles including Lake Effect Jazz Big Band under the direction of Steven Reed, Gold Company under the direction of Dr. Steve Zegree, WMU Chorale under the direction of Dr. James Bass, and VOICES LMC. She has also performed at the International Association of Jazz Educators conference in Toronto and has appeared on several albums including WMU Gold Company’s “Who Could Ask for Anything More” and “30,” Tim Hauser’s “Love Stories,” and “Ditties for Kiddies,” a benefit CD for Little Kids Rock.  

 

Duane Davis is a well-known choral adjudicator, conductor, jazz educator, and musician who was recently named 2024 Ellis Marsalis, Jr. Educator of the Year by the Jazz Education Network. He has dedicated over half a century to teaching and advancing jazz education. He has instructed at renowned institutions including the Irving S. Gilmore School of Music at Western Michigan University, Grand Rapids Public Schools, Grand Rapids Community College, and Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. 

 

Davis has been a part of the Irving S. Gilmore School of Music at WMU for over 30 years, spending most of these at the helm of Gold Company II (GCII). Under Davis’s leadership and care, GCII has long prepared students and aspiring professionals for Gold Company, WMU’s award-winning vocal jazz ensemble now in its 47th year. 

 

About the Lake Michigan College Visual & Performing Arts Department  
The Visual & Performing Arts Department allows students to reach new levels of excellence through classroom instruction and public performance. Many programs, including instrumental and vocal music, theatre, and dance, are based in the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center, the only performing arts center of its kind in southwest Michigan. Here, LMC students have opportunities to study the performing arts in a venue that attracts thousands of patrons annually. Programs including drawing, painting, and graphic design allow students to explore the possibilities in the visual arts. 
 
Auditions are held for select ensembles that perform on the same stages as world-renowned touring acts. Students in any major also have opportunities to audition for Broadway musicals and plays and join two different vocal ensembles, string and wind ensembles, a pop-rock ensemble, and jazz band. One of only two colleges in Michigan to carry the prestigious All-Steinway designation, LMC has a team of highly qualified faculty that bring real-world expertise to the classroom.  

 

For more information about the LMC Visual & Performing Arts department and performances, visit lakemichigancollege.edu/arts, email mmccaffrey@lakemichigancollege.edu, or call 269-927-8876.