The 36th annual Hope College Musical Showcase will be presented on Friday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts.
Hope College students take the stage for this fast-paced, musical spectacular, during which audience members hear everything from art songs to jazz. The hardest part for those attending is containing their enthusiasm, at least at first. In the tradition of the quick-moving musical event, audience members are asked to hold their applause until the end of the performance.
The concert features more than 250 Hope students performing in the Department of Music’s major instrumental and vocal ensembles; and soloists, who won a competition in November 2024.
Vocal performances include senior Maicee Bishop of Kalamazoo singing “Alto’s Lament,” by Zina Goldrichs; junior Jackson Hagood of Holland singing “Mondnacht,” by Robert Schumann; and freshman Sophia Mazur-Batistoni of Lapeer singing “I’m Still Hurting,” by Jason Robert Brown. The singers will be accompanied by collaborative pianists Christina Giuca Krause and Minggu Yao.
The program continues with a piano solo by freshman Jonathan Chia from Malaysia, “The Cat and the Mouse,” by Aaron Copland; and an alto saxophone solo by sophomore Benjamin Gilpin from Byron Center, “Improvisation et Caprice,” by Eugène Bozza.
Organ solos include senior Caitlyn Brown of Kalamazoo playing “Fugue in G Minor,” by J.S. Bach; senior Austin Becksvoort of Holland playing “Toccata” from Suite Gothique, Op. 25, by Léon Boëllmann; and sophomore Samuel Shuler of Holt playing “Toccata in D Minor,” by Max Reger.
The featured large vocal ensembles include the Chapel Choir, conducted by Eric Reyes, singing “Sanctus and Benedictus from Missa Brevis,” by Giovanni Palestrina; VERITAS, conducted by Reyes, singing “Tuba/Namhla Kudibene,” arranged by Michael Barrett; and SPERA, conducted by Pamela Pierson, singing “Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen,” by Josef Rheinberger. SPERA will be accompanied by collaborative pianist Allison Shinnick Keep.
The featured instrumental ensembles include the Concert Band, conducted by Anand Raj Sukumaran, playing “March from Second Suite in F Major,” by Gustav Holst; the Orchestra, conducted by Samuel Pang, playing “Finale from Symphony No. 3,” by Camille Saint-Saëns; and the Jazz Arts Collective, conducted by Robert Shipley, playing “Oclupaca,” by Duke Ellington.
To inquire about accessibility or if you need accommodations to fully participate in the event, please email accommodations@hope.edu. Updates related to events are posted when available at hope.edu/calendar in the individual listings.
Tickets are $15 for regular admission, $10 for senior citizens and Hope faculty and staff, free for Hope College students and children 18 and under. Tickets are available at the ticket office in the Events and Conferences Office located in downtown Holland in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center (100 E. Eighth St.). The ticket office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be called at 616-395-7890. Tickets are also available online at hope.edu/tickets.
The Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts is located at 221 Columbia Ave., between Ninth and 10th streets.