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Office
of News and Information
December 8, 2003 |
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Under the direction of Dr. Mark Johnson, assistant professor of music, the group of 20 vocalists will represent the university, performing on campus and touring the East Texas region and state. Future plans for the group include presenting and/or competing at national choral festivals. “We represent UT Tyler,’’ Johnson said. “Part of what we exist to do is promote the university. As UT Tyler transitioned from two- to four-year status, it was sort of a convergence of ideas and need and opportunity to create this kind of group, which most universities have.’’
The singers performed for the very first time in August, at a luncheon following the dedication of the Herrington Patriot Center. In November, they performed for high school juniors and seniors visiting the campus for Patriot Preview Day. The group presented its first concert Dec. 1, performing music of the holiday season at the UT Tyler Longview University Center. Last week, the singers also presented a series of “Carol Concerts’’ on the Tyler campus and at the Hospice of East Texas home care and administration building. “We’ve had a relatively light schedule this semester, performing mostly in-house and on campus,’’Johnson said. “Next semester, we will be considerably busier with a higher profile series of events.’’ In the spring, the Patriot Singers will perform during homecoming events, the President’s Dinner and commencement ceremonies, and present concerts at high schools in the region. They are planning to perform their first musical theatre review in April. The singers are full-time students who were selected by the music department based on talent, their commitment to performing and overall personal energy, passion, character and ability to represent the university. Auditions were held last spring. Most of the singers are from East Texas. “We do have some from other areas of Texas – Dallas, Houston, West Texas – but most of them are from right here in East Texas,’’ Johnson said. “One of the goals of the university is to increase the percentage of college-bound students in our region. The Patriot Singers has been a success in regards to reaching students from our region and getting them into UT Tyler.’’ Members range from freshmen to graduate students “and that’s the way it should be,’’ Johnson said. “It tells us that we’re reaching our market and that we’re doing a good job of offering a very high quality educational product that appeals to a range of students.’’ A pianist as well as a vocalist, Allen has performed with various choirs in school and church and teaches privately. Being a Patriot Singer “has helped me grow as a musician,’’ he said. “I would like to become a choir director and do show choirs and things like that, so this is something I wanted to get some experience in. Plus, it is making me a better performer because I have to concentrate on what I’m giving to my audience.’’ Sarah Jenkins of Eustace, a freshman vocal music education major, the group’s rehearsals on Tuesdays and Thursdays are at times “very strenuous but that’s how we get our good quality sound and performance. And I enjoy it a lot. I want to be an elementary school teacher in music and I definitely want to teach something like this one day.’’ Scholarship amounts vary, but up to full tuition is available to students who are selected for the group. For information about auditions for the 2004-05 school year, contact Johnson at 903-565-5514 or visit http://www.uttyler.edu/music/PatriotSingersApplication.htm. Photo1: Female vocalists include, from left, (front row) Sandra Richardson, Sarah Rice, Sarah Jenkins, Elise Leung, (back row) Chela West, Jessica Villarreal, Rachel Koen and Sarah Shipley. Not Pictured: Miranda Newman. Photo 2: Male vocalists include, from left, (front row) Chris Tyler, Clint Kelley, Andrew Clinton, Jack Perl, Tim Holland, (back row) Leroy Jones, Josh Allen, Matt Altman, Austin Caudle and Matt Horn.
Contact person: Emily Battle, (903) 565-5604
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UT
Tyler has broken new musical ground this fall with the debut of
the Patriot Singers, a select vocal ensemble performing Broadway,
spiritual, jazz and popular music styles.
“The
Patriot Singers is a great addition to our university because it
is an entertaining group that can go out and show off some of UT
Tyler’s best students and really show what the music department
has to offer,’’ said Joshua Allen of Jacksonville, a
junior vocal music education major and member of the group.