Men's chorus makes campus debut

By: Andrea Budde

Posted: 11/19/08

When most people think of choir groups, often time women's choral comes to mind. Rarely do people visualize men's chorus, but a group of men on campus are hoping to change that misconception.

Last Sunday, a new chorus group on campus took center stage in the Light Recital Hall. The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Men's Chorus had its debut concert; performing along with the Women's Chorale and Concert Choir. The chorus sang 5 pieces, which included "Sing dem Herrn" by Michael Praetorius, "The Last Words of David" by Randall Thompson, "Shenandoah" arranged by Kent Newbury, "Bring Him Home" by Claude-Michel Schonberg, and "Please, Mr. Columbus" arranged by Jack Baird.

The concert began with the men singing from the back of the room, and then proceeding to march to the stage. The songs that were performed ranged in genre from a march to slower pieces. The Men's Chorus ended their performance with a bang by performing a barbershop song, which was done with a bit of acting.

"I always wanted to be in a men's choir," freshman choir major Brian Zwick said.

"I enjoy Men's Chorus," sophomore music education major Brian Plehn said. "It was a riveting performance."

The Men's Chorus consists of around 30 men from both music and non-music majors and backgrounds. The group is lead by Ken Harned, who is new to UW-Whitewater this semester.

"I thought (our first concert) went well. I can't wait to keep going," Harned said.

Many of the performers also thought the first performance went well, and encourage all the men on campus to join Men's Chorus.

The chorus performs strictly choral music ranging in style from classical, to Broadway, to barbershop. Men's Chorus is offered via a one credit class per semester, which meets Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:25 to 5:15 p.m.. No formal audition is needed to join the chorus, but a placement test is given to place students in the right section. Unlike other more formal choirs on campus, the Men's Chorus is more accessible for those students who just want to have fun singing.

"The goal is to have a choir that is more accessible to more students. It is meant for anyone who likes to sing," Harned said.

UW-Whitewater had a men's chorus in the mid 1960's, which consisted of over 100 men. They were known as the Meister Singers, and performed until about the mid 1980's. With the arrival of Harned, a similar chorus has formed, but with smaller numbers.

Harned teaches choral music education at UW-Whitewater. His interest in singing started while living in Ohio, where he was involved in a large Glee Club. Harned obtained his undergraduate degree from Ohio, and received his masters at USC. He taught high school music for 10 years, and is currently working for his doctorate degree.

The Men's Chorus will be performing at the Holiday Gala, being held in the Young Auditorium on Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. On March 1, the Men's Chorus will join up with the Men's Choruses from UW-Plattville and UW-Milwaukee for a collaborative performance. Harned hopes to find more events for he and his students to perform at; on campus as well as in the community.

For men looking to join Men's Chorus, new students are being accepted at semester. For more information about the group, or about joining, contact Harned at harnedk@uww.edu.