Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
(574) 284-4579 (desk)
(574) 286-4977 (cell)
Feb. 12, 2009 (Notre Dame, IN)- The Saint Mary’s College Women’s Choir, a select 30-voice ensemble, will be on tour March 9-15, traveling to Fort Wayne, Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Toronto. A homecoming concert will be held at Saint Mary’s on March 20. The choir has toured cities in the U.S. and Canada every other spring for 25 years. It is considered to be one of the best choirs in the country, with a choral series bearing its name and four critically acclaimed compact discs. The women will sing for a variety of audiences, often joining local choirs for the concerts.
“The tour gives our music education majors an idea of what goes into planning a concert tour,” said Nancy Menk, choir director and professor of music. “We visit high schools along the way and have exchanges with their choirs. We perform and discuss the music and vocal techniques.”
In Fort Wayne, the Women’s Choir will sing with the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir and visit Concordia Lutheran High School and Bishop Luers High School. In Ann Arbor, the College’s choir will join with the Ann Arbor Youth Chorale and Huron High School’s Bel Canto choir. In Toronto, the Saint Mary’s choir will join the University of Guelph and University of Toronto Women’s Choirs for performances. In-school concerts are private, but evening performances are free and open to the public.
Joining Menk in her conducting duties will be senior Katie Chmelko. Both a talented singer and instrumentalist, the Philadelphia native is pursuing a degree in music education. As a student teacher, Chmelko currently teaches choral music to students at LaPorte High School, LaPorte, Ind. She plans to pursue a graduate degree in choral conducting.
For more information on the choir, to http://www3.saintmarys.edu/music-womens-choir. For more information on Katie Chemelko, go to http://www3.saintmarys.edu/face-to-face/music-maker
When: March 9, 7 p.m.
Where: First Wayne Street United Methodist Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana
What: Saint Mary’s College Women’s Choir (Nancy Menk, conductor) performs with the Ft. Wayne Children’s Choir (Fred Meads, conductor)
When: March 11, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Bethlehem United Church of Christ, Ann Arbor, Michigan
What: Saint Mary’s College Women’s Choir (Nancy Menk, conductor) performs with Ann Arbor Youth Chorale and Huron High School Bel Canto (Bonnie Kidd, conductor)
When: March 12, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Detroit, Michigan
What: Saint Mary’s College Women’s Choir (Nancy Menk, conductor) performs
When: March 13, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Harcourt Memorial United Church, Guelph, Ontario
What: Saint Mary’s College Women’s Choir (Nancy Menk, conductor) performs with the University of Guelph and the University of Toronto Women’s Choirs (Marta McCarthy and Robert Cooper, conductors)
When: March 14, 4:00 p.m.
Where: The Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Toronto, Ontario
What: Saint Mary’s College Women’s Choir (Nancy Menk, conductor) performs
When: March 15, 5:00 p.m. Mass
Where: St. Michael’s Cathedral, Toronto, Ontario
What: Saint Mary’s College Women’s Choir (Nancy Menk, conductor) performs
When: March 20, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Church of Our Lady of Loretto
What: Homecoming Concert performed by the Saint Mary’s College Women’s Choir (Nancy Menk, conductor)
About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering bachelor’s degrees in more than 30 major areas of study. The College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary's College ranks among the nation's top liberal arts colleges in U.S. News & World Report's 2009 annual survey. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.
