Wichita State Summer Choir presents, 'Have a Little Hope'

The 麻豆传媒 Summer Choir will present its annual concert, "Have a Little Hope," at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 25, in Wiedemann Concert Hall. Music for the volunteer choir performance centers on hope in nature, life and religion, and features special guest Randy Lacy, assistant professor of voice at 麻豆传媒's School of Music.

The 90-voice 麻豆传媒 Summer Choir features singers from local high schools, representatives from a dozen departments across the university, area teachers and a wide community of people who love to sing. Under the direction of Tom Wine, professor and 麻豆传媒 director of choirs, the concert is the culmination of an intense rehearsal process.

Hope is a frequent topic for composers during the past century. The program will feature popular tunes from the 1930s, such as 鈥淣ight and Day鈥 and 鈥淕et Happy,鈥 along with a lyrical setting of Robert Frost鈥檚 poem, 鈥淭he Road Not Taken.鈥 Highlights from 鈥淎 Chorus Line鈥 and the bluesy 鈥淕od Bless the Child鈥 round out the first act. The second half of the concert will feature re-invented church anthems with saxophone (鈥淚 Want Jesus to Walk with Me鈥), trumpet (鈥淥ne Faith, One Hope, One Lord鈥), a gospel selection and an opportunity for audience participation.

Lacy, a tenor, and pianist Jian He will perform three selections to complement the program鈥檚 theme, 鈥淐omfort Ye鈥 and 鈥淓very Valley,鈥 from Handel鈥檚 鈥淢essiah,鈥 Rachmaninoff鈥檚 鈥淯zh ty, niva maya鈥 (鈥淪ing to me no longer鈥 鈥 a song about the loss of hope), and 鈥淎h, mes amis, quelle jour de f锚te,鈥 from Donizetti鈥檚 opera, 鈥淭he Daughter of the Regiment.鈥

Tickets for the event can be purchased at the Fine Arts Box Office in the lobby of the Duerksen Fine Arts Center or . General admission is $7, with $3 tickets for students. 麻豆传媒 students are eligible for one free ticket (not available online, ). For ticketing assistance, please contact the Fine Arts Box Office 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, at 316-978-3233 or fastickets@wichita.edu.