Romantic ballads and familiar standards will fill the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center Jenkins Theatre at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, when the LMC Visual & Performing Arts department presents the Wine & Roses Vocal Concert. This free event will feature two student choral ensembles, LMC Vocal Chamber and Vox LMC, under the direction of Rebecca Derbas-Selvidge.
This is an immersive concert experience with audience seating provided on the Jenkins Theatre stage with the performers. A cash wine bar featuring Lake Michigan Vintners wine will be available with two tasting pours for $5, and full glasses for $8.
Vox LMC will perform selections including “Words,” composed by Anders Edenroth; “This Can’t Be Love” arranged by Jed Scott; “Days of Wine and Roses,” a piece by Henry Mancini and arranged by Steve Zegree; “Brave Little Flower,” composed and arranged by Alyssa Allgood; and “Love Wins,” by Bill Cantos, arranged by Michele Weir.
The LMC Vocal Chamber set list includes “Pase el Agoa,” a Spanish villancico; “Things that Never Die” by Greg Gilpin; “TaReKiTa,” an Indian raga composed by Reena Esmail; and “What a Wonderful World” made famous by Louis Armstrong and arranged by Mark Brymer.
Vox LMC is a vocal jazz ensemble that incorporates the study of contemporary American music with music technology. Music technology students learn about the uses of microphones, monitors, and speakers with guidance from TPC Technologies, Inc., the LMC Mendel Center’s production partner, while the student singers and instrumentalists work through the complex harmonies and rhythms of vocal jazz. The ensemble has performed with WMU’s Fourtnate Cats as well as New York Voices soprano, Kim Nazarian, and received Outstanding Performance from the 44th Annual Gold Company Vocal Jazz Festival.
Vox LMC performers are Ella Harris (Coloma), Deonna McGrew (New Buffalo), Lauriebelle Radin (Savannah, GA), Zola Sibanda (Coloma), Logan Mitchell (Buchanan), Wyatt Arms (Hartford), Deyton Lee (Benton Harbor), Landon Mitchell (Buchanan), Garreth Smiley (Comox, Vancouver Island, BC), and Leo Rediess (South Haven).
LMC Vocal Chamber is a dynamic student ensemble that performs frequently in concert each semester. Selections performed are drawn from the standard choral repertoire and include madrigals, motets, folk songs, spirituals, and jazz. Ensemble membership is comprised of LMC students, by audition.
LMC Vocal Chamber members include Sidney Steinberger (Stevensville), Alison MacMillon (Hartford), Lauriebelle Radin (Savannah, GA), Elisa Sypian (St. Joseph), Wyatt Arms (Hartford), Brandyn Gifford (Stevensville), Zechariah Childs (Benton Harbor), Antowan Dyer (Benton Harbor), and Garreth Smiley (Comox, Vancouver Island, BC).
Tickets are not required for this free general admission event.
About the director
Rebecca Derbas-Selvidge 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.
She was a founding member of the Three Divas of Southwest Michigan with Carrie VanDenburgh and Katherine Rohwer. Derbas-Selvidge is a proud alum of the Lake Michigan College music department where she received the Steve Sizer Vocal Scholarship, the Outstanding Musician of the Year award, and met her husband, Alan. She is mom to their son, Jack, their crazy dog, Ginger, and spicy cat, Wasabi.
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.
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.
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.
