USF Choir recreates centennial tour to East Coast to celebrate 100 years of music

March 7, 2017

In celebration of 100 years of choral music at the University of Sioux Falls, the music department is recreating USF’s 1982 choir tour with a trip to Washington, D.C. and New York City, March 13-18.  

The 1982 choir tour marked the celebration of 100 years of USF as a whole, formerly known as Sioux Falls College.

“Over the last 100 years, music has profoundly impacted this campus community,” said Dr. David DeHoogh-Kliewer, Director of Choral Activities. “Whether we are sorting furniture donations for people experiencing poverty in the D.C. area or performing Lenten motets in the Cathedral of St. Patrick, our goal is to bring glory to God. It’s a goal that has been consistent for over 100 years of choral music at the University of Sioux Falls.”

The USF Concert Chorale’s 2017 spring tour includes:

• Service at A Wider Circle in Washington, D.C., and The Food Bank For New York City.
• Visiting historical landmarks including the U.S. Capitol and The Smithsonian Institution Museums in Washington, D.C.
• Visiting the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Central Park, Statue of Liberty National Monument, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, Times Square and Rockefeller Center in New York City and take in a Broadway performance.
• Perform at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on St. Patrick’s Day.
• A home concert at St. Joseph Cathedral in Sioux Falls at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 25.

The home concert at St. Joseph Cathedral in Sioux Falls is a special honor, according to Dr. DeHoogh-Kliewer, because the church is highly selective in the quality of its performers. The St. Joseph Cathedral performance is free and open to the public. 

Recreating the centennial tour is just one of three ways in which USF has been celebrating 100 years of music this year. Late last year, USF also commissioned an original choral piece to celebrate 100 years. Professional composer Deanna Wehrspann composed God’s Marvel for USF, and a reunion choir of over 200 voices, consisting of alumni and students, gave the world debut performance of God’s Marvel at USF’s third-annual homecoming cabaret, Courgaret III. The group also performed several other anthems in celebration of 100 years of music. 

“The choir tour stands as one of the most outstanding experiences of my life,” said Lois (DeBoer) Boice, an alumna from the 1966 tour and a USF Board Member.

The 1966 tour was USF’s first-ever European tour, and the choir visited nine countries in 30 days. Continuing this tradition, USF’s Concert Chorale travels internationally every two years.

In the past 10 years, USF choirs have sung in over 250 high schools and churches from California to central Europe.

USF choirs have served audiences through their music, but they also serve the communities they visit as the hands and feet of Christ and participate in service projects such as: Habitat for Humanity in Denver, the Surfrider Foundation in San Diego, Share Your Soles in Chicago, the St. Francis House in Sioux Falls and performing for refugees and in homeless shelters across Europe.

USF’s Music Department offers many performance-based scholarships, as well as workshops that help students understand the audition and scholarship process.

About the University of Sioux Falls

A growing, transformative university committed to academic excellence and the development of mature Christian persons for service to God and humankind in the world, the University of Sioux Falls offers more than 90 undergraduate programs and adult and graduate offerings in business, degree completion, education and nursing, as well as the Center for Professional Development. For more information about USF, visit www.usiouxfalls.edu.