Nearly one hundred members from both the OSU campus and surrounding Corvallis community gathered to hold the 15th annual Summer Choir Concert on Saturday, August 13.

The 2016 Summer Choir Concert performed excerpts from Franz Joseph Haydn’s The Creation, in addition to Jabula jesu by Arr. Stephen Hatfield, Bring Me a Little Water, Silvy by Arr. Greg Gilpin, Cornerstone by Shawn Kirschner, and other popular selections with an accompanying orchestra. The free choir concert was located at The First United Methodist Church and was open to the public.

The following seven graduate music education students served as the conductors for the evening: Tim Chase, Ruiting Jin, Sarah Massey, Hannah Sneller, Kimber Parker, Shannon Webb, and Eric Zittel.

The choir was directed by Steven Zielke, who serves as the Director of Choral Studies and the School of Arts and Communication’s music coordinator at Oregon State University.

After a quick intermission, the crowd was asked to join the choir in singing Let There Be Peace on Earth. by Arr. Craig Courtney conducted by Steven Zielke, himself.

Joining the singing group required no audition and was open to members of all ages with varying ability levels. Oregon State University students were able to register for the summer choir to receive college credit, while community members paid a fee to participate.

The choir began rehearsing July 27, and continued to practice every Monday and Wednesday leading up to the final performance with two additional practices added just before the concert. Among the many performances there were a total of seven soloists featuring the broad voice ranges of members associated with the choir.