Legacy of LMC music department to be celebrated during April 15 concert

 Lake Michigan College’s Visual & Performing Arts Department invites the community to celebrate the rich legacy of its music program during the Legacy & Song concert, 7 p.m., April 15, at the LMC Mendel Center Jenkins Theatre. The evening reunites former music directors and alumni for an evening of choral and instrumental music spanning decades of LMC artistry.

Guest conductors will be former LMC music director Dan Henrickson and current LMC Dean of Arts & Sciences Kristopher Zook, who served as Chair of the College’s Visual & Performing Arts Department from 2019-2022. They join current LMC choral director and LMC music alumnus Rebecca Derbas-Selvidge in leading the evening’s ensembles.

Henrickson will conduct the Alumni Choir in David Dickau’s “If Music Be the Food of Love” and Morten Lauridsen’s ethereal “Dirait-on.” Zook leads the Concert Choir in Mozart’s “Kyrie eleison” and the Vocal Chamber in Mark Hayes’ “One World.” Derbas-Selvidge directs the Alumni Choir in Rollo Dilworth’s spirited “Walk in Jerusalem” and guides the Vocal Chamber through a diverse program that includes Jim Papoulis’ rhythmically charged “Oye” and Harry Somers’ folk-inspired “Feller From Fortune.”

The program features the LMC Vocal Chamber, Vox LMC, LMC Concert Choir, and the Alumni Choir assembled especially for this occasion, alongside faculty instrumental soloists. Highlights include Aaron Copland’s rousing “Stomp Your Foot” from The Tender Land, a Vivaldi double trumpet concerto performed by LMC faculty Danny Lopez and student Luis Sanchez, and Vox LMC’s soulful rendition of “Hallelujah, I Love Him So” with live rhythm section.

Stephen Paulus’s beloved “The Road Home” will feature LMC alumna Shay Beeson as soloist. Additional performers featured throughout the program will be students Deyton Lee, Markus White, and Zechariah Childs, alumnus Brandon Yenchus, and collaborative pianist Alexandra Lee.

Following the concert, the audience is invited to join the guest conductors, students, and alum for a reception in the Mendel Center North Lobby.

Admission is free and tickets are not required.