Greetings from the Fine Arts Department at High Point University!
Great things are happening in music at High Point University. We have just begun our second full year with the new music major and are very excited about the growth in our program since it has begun.
There are a number of music ensembles on campus that maintain an active performing schedule throughout the academic year. The Chapel Choir and University Singers perform every month with chapel services and other official University functions, and the Cabaret will give at least three performances this year. The HPU Orchestra will also perform several times each semester, directed by the founding member and director of the nationally recognized Carolina Brass. All of these ensembles carry academic credit.
Several student-directed a cappella singing groups regularly perform on and off campus. They are being coached by one of our adjunct faculty, a professional singer who also maintains an active performance schedule both on the local and national level.
Other musically enriching activities have been planned for the 2007-2008 academic year. There are plans to give recitals that will include 2-piano 8-hand piano repertoire as well as performances by some of the most promising instrumental and voice students on campus. The High Point University Chapel invites nationally celebrated musicians to perform at services on a regular basis throughout the academic year. Visiting artists have been give master classes and participate in concert preparations, and professional ensembles perform for the campus community at large.
We are also very excited about plans to send our combined choirs to Leipzig, Germany in July 2008 for an international choral festival led by artistic director Sir Jonathan Willcocks. The tour will culminate in a gala concert given at St. Nicholas Church, where J.S. Bach was choirmaster during the last part of his career. Works featured at the concert will include highlights from Mendelssohn’s Elijah and a commissioned arrangement of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, from the Ninth Symphony. Students will also tour some of the major historic cities and regions in the area in addition to attending workshops, master classes and performances.
We invite you to explore our website and see what we’re all about. If you are considering a well rounded liberal arts education in music with faculty dedicated to providing you with the best we have to offer, this might be the place for you. Please feel free to contact us at any time so we may answer your questions and tell you more about the music program at High Point University.
Warm regards,
Judy L. Ransom, Area Coordinator of Music
High Point University
336.841. 4612
jransom@highpoint.edu