- VALPO ABROAD: GERMANY 2010
Members of Valpo's Chorale are shown here participating in a March 2010 performance of J.S. Bach's "St. Matthew Passion." The Chorale will perform at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig - where Bach was employed when he composed the masterpiece - during its May 2010 tour. Tour spotlights Valpo’s international connections
The diverse global learning experiences offered by Valparaiso University will be showcased during a two-week tour of Germany by the Valpo Chorale, one of the nation’s leading Lutheran collegiate choirs.
Stories, photographs and videos documenting the Chorale during its 2010 Germany tour, as well as stories about other Valpo students and alumni currently living, studying and working in Germany will be posted throughout the May 17-31 tour online at “Valpo Abroad: Germany 2010.” “Valpo Abroad: Germany 2010” reports will explore Valpo’s numerous connections to Germany, the Chorale’s unique touring history in Germany and the wide range of global learning opportunities offered at Valpo.
Abby Lange, an art history and public relations major from Champaign, Ill., will be one of two students blogging about their experiences during the tour.
“I’ve been involved in choir since middle school, and I love having the opportunity with the Chorale to perform at a nearly professional level,” says Lange, who joined the Chorale her freshman year and participated in the ensemble’s 2007 Germany tour. “I’m especially excited about our collaboration with the Leipzig Baroque Orchestra again this year. During our 2007 tour it was amazing to perform alongside these professional musicians playing period instruments, which rarely happens in the United States.”
The Chorale’s tour will be highlighted by its third residency at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, where J.S. Bach worked for 27 years while composing many of his most famous works. The 48-voice Chorale is the only collegiate choir from the United States ever invited to serve a residency at the church.
Chorale conductor Dr. Christopher Cock, Duesenberg professor of Lutheran music, says the residency is an indicator of the quality of Valpo’s music program.
“More importantly, our friends in Leipzig recognize that Valpo students are honored to share music in such an important historical venue and to bring their best musical gifts,” Dr. Cock says. “It is a classic example of music as a builder of bridges between societies and people.”
The Chorale’s nine concert and worship service performances will include a benefit concert in support of the Forum Thomaner, a new Leipzig-based venture supporting international education, as well as American choral music workshop with students at the Hochschule fur Kirchenmusik (University for Church Music) in Rottenburg am Neckar, Germany. Valpo recently established an exchange program with the German institution, and Valpo’s first student currently is studying there.
“Valpo Abroad: Germany 2010” will feature other stories related to the University’s diverse international opportunities, including:
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Two students working in Germany as part of the Valparaiso International Engineering Program-German. The VIEP, which also offers programs in France and China, provides Valpo engineering students with a unique opportunity to work overseas and prepare for the increasingly global marketplace.
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Valpo alumni who participated in the University’s study abroad programs in Germany and are now living and working in that nation.
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A graduating senior who has received a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct research on the fall of the Berlin Wall, and an alumnus who is currently teaching English in Germany as a Fulbright recipient.
Dr. Sarah DeMaris, a German professor who also serves as director of the Kade-Duesenberg German House and Cultural Center (one of three immersive language residential options on campus), says that global learning is integrated throughout Valpo’s academic program and is buttressed by a wide range of campus organizations, cultural programs and other resources.
“Global learning is a key part of the Valpo experience,” says Dr. DeMaris. “We are preparing tomorrow’s leaders, and exploring the language and culture of other nations provides perspectives that help Valpo students thrive in a global economy.”
A wide variety of global learning opportunities are available to Valpo students both on and off campus. Dr. DeMaris notes that every student, no matter what their major, is able to study overseas, participate in a service learning trip abroad or, in the case of the Chorale, tour with a musical ensemble in another country. More information about global learning at Valpo is online at http://www.valpo.edu/globalvalpo.
Follow the Valpo Chorale in Germany
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