Eight Bethany Students Selected

Eight select students from Bethany performed with the Toledo Symphony and Goshen College Choirs in a Nov. 15 concert under the direction of Maestro Vance George of San Francisco, Calif. "This is an experience that most students will never have," says Bethany director J. D. Smucker. "To perform with a professional symphony orchestra, in one of the finest concert halls in our state, under the direction of a Grammy winning conductor, and with the best high school singers from throughout our area, is a unique experience that will be remembered forever."

The honors choir consisted of 100 students from high schools in northern Indiana, Kansas, Iowa, Virginia, and Ohio. Selected by their individual high school choir directors, the honor choir learned the music at their respective schools before rehearsing with the Toledo Symphony, college choirs, and Vance George on the concert weekend. "Honors Choir gave us the opportunity to meet new people with a common interest in singing and to be directed by the renowned Maestro Vance George, a Grammy winner with a great personality and awesome socks," comment Bethany senior Sierra Germeyan and Elyse Morgan. "Although sometimes challenging and time consuming, the experience was educational and musically enriching."

In addition to Germeyan and Morgan, Bethany  participants included seniors Lewis Caskey, Jon Mark, and Luke Slagel, juniors Clarissa Lora and  Kate Steury, and sophomore Taylor Ann Krahn. Noting that the Goshen College choirs included a significant number of Bethany alumni as well, prompted Smucker to comment, "It was a reunion of sorts as Bethany graduates and current Bethany students represented ten percent of the mass choir of 200 singers.