(BEAVER FALLS, Pa.) – The Genevans, the Geneva College choir, celebrates its 84th concert season with a program entitled “The Word became Flesh and Dwelt among Us.” The choir will begin its concert season at the Reformed Presbyterian Home in Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. on March 2, 2022, before launching a five-day tour of Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. The choir will then appear at Geneva College for its annual Spring concerts at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 18 and Saturday, March 19, 2022, in John White Chapel.
Anticipating its quadrennial international tour in May, this year planned for Israel, The Genevans will perform songs themed around John 1:14 and the incarnation of Christ. Along these lines, the choir will be featuring “Verbum caro factum est” by Hans Leo Hassler on that passage, and an English setting by Paul Bouman. On similar themes, the choir will sing “The Light Shines in the Darkness” and “Salvation is Created” by two Russian composers, Konstantin Zhigulin and Pavel Chesnokov.
Members of The Genevans look forward to walking in the footsteps of the apostles, patriarchs, and Christ himself. For that reason, the choir is preparing several pieces with lyrics on the words of Christ, such as the excerpted Gordon Young anthem “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” from Christ’s Upper Room discourse and the piece by Patrick Hawes, “The Pure in Heart” which comes from the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount.
The Genevans bring back Philip Stopford’s “Jesus Christ is Lord” from the choir’s 2020 Philippians program, as well as their perennial favorite, “God so Loved the World” by Sir John Stainer.
The concert winds down with several psalms of trust, from “Sicut Cervus/As the Deer Thirsts” (Psalm 42) by Giovanni Palestrina, to the women’s voices in “O Lord, My Heart” (Psalm 131) composed by Geneva College's own Byron G. Curtis, Professor of Biblical Studies. The men will sing “Not unto Us, Lord,” which is an arrangement of Psalm 115 by Geneva alumnus Brian Wright ’11 on a Patrick Doyle tune. Just before the end, the choir will bring back “O Come, let us Sing for Joy to the Lord” (Psalm 95) by Diane Whitacre, from whom the choir commissioned this setting for the choir’s 80th anniversary. The group of psalms is swiftly followed by a rousing “Alleluja” fugue by J.S. Bach.
The concerts will begin with the choir’s traditional Psalm 96 processional, and end with Christiansen’s arrangement of “Beautiful Savior” and Paul Manz’s “E’en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come.” Performed in the choir’s signature surround-sound style, these closing pieces celebrate the glory of Christ.
The entire program will be sung a cappella, with the exception of the offertory, “For the Mountains shall Depart” from Mendelssohn’s Elijah, sung by Senior Music major baritone Austin Dye, from Walkersville, MD, accompanied on piano by Freshman English major Sarabeth Schuck, whose home is Franktown, CO.
The Genevans’ concerts are open to the public and free of charge, though a love offering will be taken during the offertory. During intermission, concertgoers will enjoy performances by the Grace Notes, a women’s ensemble, and the Eight Bells, a double barbershop quartet.
The Genevans choir exists to glorify God and minister to people through the gift of music. Formed in 1938, the choir continues a rich heritage of choral singing dating from the founding of Geneva College. While engaging audiences with important spiritual truth, The Genevans have acquired a reputation for choral excellence, musical variety and emotional impact.
For more information, including recordings for purchase, and The Genevans’ full concert schedule, visit The Genevans on the web at http://www.geneva.edu/genevans, or contact conductor Dr. David Kenneth Smith at (724) 847-6662 or at dksmith@geneva.edu. Follow the Genevans on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/thegenevans.
Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Offering over 145 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva’s programs are recognized for their high quality and affordability. Geneva is the #6 ranked Best Value Regional University North, according to U.S. News and World Report. Adhering to the truth of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God’s Word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today’s world. Geneva was founded and is governed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and is a founding member of both the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and the International Association for Christian Education (IACE).
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