8 minute read
Fine Arts
“The Wisconsin Lutheran Choir has always had a special place in my heart, since both of my older sisters were very involved in the choir during their time at WLC. I grew up going to the Christmas Festival Concerts and looking up to this group of singers. When I became a student at WLC, I didn’t know anyone, but the choir became my community and family from the start. The strength and comfort that singing with this choir provides is unlike any other group experience at WLC. Thank you, Wisconsin Lutheran Choir, for the lifelong friends and memories.”
– Hayley Giovinazzo ’22 Stow, MA
Choir Resumes Touring
In March, the Wisconsin Lutheran Choir and Chamber Choir, under the direction of Dr. James A. Nowack, returned to the road for the first time in two years to perform four concerts in Georgia and Florida. The 2022 Spring Tour concluded with a home concert in WLC’s Schwan Concert Hall on March 25.
The inspirational concert program of sacred choral literature spanned several periods and genres, concluding with Is He Worthy? by Andrew Peterson and Ben Shive, arranged by Dan Forrest. This stirring anthem blended call-and-response questions posed in the book of Revelation with musical passages from Handel’s Messiah.
“The Wisconsin Lutheran Choir has always been a safe haven for me. Dr. Nowack encourages us to leave our stressors and troubles at the door when we come into rehearsal. Choir participation is certainly an extremely gratifying experience. Nothing compares to the feeling of singing with a large group of people, everyone putting their whole hearts into it, and hearing the results of all our hard work. The Wisconsin Lutheran Choir has been a huge blessing in my life for these four years, and I will never forget the times I’ve shared here.” The 28-voice Chamber Choir performed sacred repertoire including Z. Randall Stroope’s Lamentations of Jeremiah and Lord of the Dance by Larry Fleming.
Sophomore Michael Kuether reflected on his first trip with the Wisconsin Lutheran Choir: “Choir tour was an amazing experience! It truly was a gift to be able to travel with this choir and sing God’s praises to people who I know deeply appreciated it. Being able to do this, especially after not touring my freshman year due to the pandemic, was greatly impactful to me. Getting to know everyone in the choir better and bond with them was great! I’m definitely looking forward to the next tour!”
LEARNING FROM A VIOLIN VIRTUOSO
From February through early April, about 50 paintings and drawings by Paul Burmeister, professor of art at Wisconsin Lutheran College, were on display in the Schlueter Art Gallery. The wonderful retrospective exhibition featuring artwork from more than 30 years of Burmeister's career was titled “Subject Matter 1987-2021.” On February 17 during the opening reception, he gave a talk to a capacity crowd in the Reichel Lecture Hall describing his background and the works on display.
“Among the multitude of choices necessary to making art, choosing a subject matter is crucially important,” said Burmeister. “My choice of this particular subject matter owes to my lifelong, intimate familiarity with it, its availability, and its capacity to serve my core interests in abstract design.”
Burmeister has explored a variety of subject matters since receiving his M.F.A. in 1987, and his ongoing interest in the forms of vernacular architecture was curated in this show. His creative explorations of common Midwest building types have received regional attention; his paintings have been shown in juried and invitational exhibitions. WLC was honored to have violinist Frank Almond teach a master class for students in March. Almond, who held the concertmaster chair with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra for 25 years, offered feedback and instruction to WLC students Sophia Kerkow ’25 (pictured left with Frank Almond) and Kathryn Rausch ’24, while other music students, faculty, and staff observed the class in the Schwan Concert Hall.
“The master class was a great experience that I was happy to be a part of,” said Sophia. “I learned a lot about performing on stage in a musical and dynamic way. Frank Almond was friendly and approachable, and all of us who participated enjoyed ourselves.”
Almond emphasized to the students the need to “sell” their performance to the audience by expanding the “vocabulary” of their music; don’t say the same thing over and over while playing the piece. Tell the story of the music in a bigger way by exaggerating it. He advised that they project the sound beyond the front of the stage, and play with more emotion than they think they need to.
His advice was useful for all music students, both vocal and instrumental. Special thanks to the generous donors who sponsored this wonderful opportunity!
In the evening, Almond returned to stage with master accordion player Stas Venglevski for a sold-out Guest Artist Series concert. Almond also performs at WLC with his chamber music series, Frankly Music.
Alumni Collaborate with Students on Theatre Production
In February, Wisconsin Lutheran College’s Theatre Department presented the third edition of its TenMinute Original Play Showcase, a collection of short plays written and directed by WLC students and alumni.
“The term ‘showcase’ identifies that these plays are being presented primarily for the benefit of the playwrights, directors, and actors, and that while the preparation is held to a high standard, the script and production elements are not as refined or elaborate as a regular production,” shared Prof. Jay Sierszyn, the showcase’s faculty producer and WLC’s director of theatre. With characters portrayed by WLC student actors, the eight plays featured fresh forays into comedy, drama, and places in-between, with each work having its own set, props, costumes, and music.
WLC staff member Jonathan Lorenzen ’11 interviewed three playwrights and directors for a look “behind-the-curtain” of the showcase.
Senior theatre and communication double major Abby Bloomquist (pictured left) wrote Best Person To Me Always and directed alumna Amanda Schumacher’s Smart Girls.
What was your inspiration for Best Person
to Me Always? “I drew inspiration from something that happened to a friend in real life and felt it was a story worth telling. I wrote the play for myself – from the heart – rather than trying make it fit a particular cast.”
How did you feel after watching your play
being performed for the first time? “The play I saw performed in the showcase did not turn out how I had imagined it would. But theatre is very much subject to interpretation – otherwise it wouldn’t be unique. With more time and work, I feel it could be a published piece.”
What was it like directing Smart Girls? “I let the actors lead me (at first) with their creative expression rather than forcing my vision on them. After seeing the play for the first time on opening night, I felt grateful and exhilarated. The satisfaction of knowing I could stand by my work while doing something I love confirmed that I am right where I’m supposed to be.”
Amanda Schumacher ’12
(pictured left) jumped at the opportunity to submit her play Smart Girls and serve as a director for this year’s showcase.
What was your reaction to being asked to write a play for your alma mater?
“Returning to WLC always feels like coming home. It doesn’t matter how much time has passed – the moment we walk into the Raabe Theatre, it’s as if time stands still. All the worries and stressors of adult, post-college life melt away, and it’s just you and this group of people focused on one thing – and that’s making beautiful, thought-provoking (and sometimes laugh-inducing) art.”
What did you gain from participating in the
showcase? “As a director, it’s an opportunity to do better – to step up and hold yourself to a higher standard. As a playwright, seeing your work on a stage where you spent countless hours rehearsing yourself. It’s magical, it’s empowering, and it’s beyond satisfying. For some alumni (and students), this was the first time they were seeing their work being performed; sometimes, that one experience can help motivate someone to keep trying and to keep writing.”
How did students benefit from working with
alumni playwrights and directors? “I think it’s healthy for students to have positive interactions with alumni who are a little bit older than them. I often approach directing and my overall interactions with students by being the type of grown-up I wish my younger self had when I was in college – someone who could reassure me, gently nudge me, and remind me that God is bigger than all of us.” Zach Beierle ’10 (pictured left) directed The Grass Withers by student playwright Elisa Hatton ’24; it was his first experience as an alumni director.
How did it feel to direct a
student’s play? “It honestly made me nervous. First, because it’s a play that’s never been produced before. Second, this might be the first time a student has seen their work produced. There’s a lot riding on that.”
How did you visualize and interpret the play?
“Elisa was very gracious to sit and talk it over, listen to a first read-through, and give her thoughts on my interpretation. From there, I had to stop trying to figure out the truth of the play and let the process take over. It was a meaty play, and I’m thankful for the students’ hard work.”
What wisdom were you able to impart to
students? “I hope I showed them that they are capable of more than they think. Do the hard work – just create, and it will show. I also hope I showed them that collaborating is about respecting each other, yourself, and the process.”
Reflecting on the overall impact of the showcase, Zach concluded: “It was an awesome experience to work with students, to connect with them, and share our post-college, real-world experience.”
