Barry McNamara  |   Published February 22, 2023

Chorale ‘Home’ Concert Is March 18

Monmouth Chorale, Chamber Choir to travel to Colorado during spring break; groups will also sing in Nebraska and Kansas City before returning to campus for March 18 home concert.

MONMOUTH, Ill. – The Monmouth College Chorale and Chamber Choir will head for the Rockies during the upcoming spring break at the western Illinois school.

The 30-student Chorale will perform three times in Colorado, including two public performances. On their way out west, the students will sing in Lincoln, Nebraska, and they’ll perform in Kansas City on their way home. All of the public performances are free and open to the public.

TIM PAHEL: Under music professor's leadership, the Monmouth Chorale has toured extensively, b... TIM PAHEL: Under music professor's leadership, the Monmouth Chorale has toured extensively, both domestically and abroad.“These experiences are always fun and a great recruiting opportunity for us,” said Chorale director Tim Pahel, who selects students from within the Chorale to perform in the Chamber Choir. “Both groups are singing very well, the students are excited, and I think the performances are going to be excellent.”

The Chorale will open its spring break tour with a 7 p.m. performance March 4 at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Lincoln.

The next night, also at 7 p.m., the Chorale will sing at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Denver.

On March 6, the Chorale will interact with students at Grandview High School in Aurora, before continuing its performances at 7 p.m. March 7 at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Colorado Springs.

The Chorale will then head back toward Monmouth, stopping in Kansas City for a 7 p.m. performance March 8 at Holy Family Catholic Church.

MILE-HIGH CHURCH: In Denver, the Chorale and Chamber Choir will sing at St. Luke's Episcopal ... MILE-HIGH CHURCH: In Denver, the Chorale and Chamber Choir will sing at St. Luke's Episcopal Church.Being on the road in March is an annual element of the Chorale’s schedule, but Pahel and the students also enjoy performing for their “home” crowd, which they will do at 7:30 p.m. March 18 in the College’s Dahl Chapel and Auditorium.

Some of the selections that the Chorale and Chamber Choir will perform include “Sing Joyfully” by William Byrd (1543-1623), “When I Fall in Love” by Victor Young (1900-1956), the traditional folk song “Shenandoah,” and “Dawn and Dusk” by Ken Steven (b. 1993), featuring a solo by Gabriela Madu ’23 of Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Pahel holds a bachelor’s degree from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, a master’s degree in piano performance from the University of Illinois, and a doctorate in choral conducting from the University of Iowa, where he studied conducting with Timothy Stalter.

Pahel has toured with the Chorale both nationally and internationally, including trips to Austria, the Czech Republic, Spain, Italy and twice to New York City to perform in Carnegie Hall. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2018, conducting the Monmouth Chorale and other high school and college choirs and the New England Symphonic Ensemble in a performance of Vaughan Williams’s Dona nobis pacem.

An active member of the American Choral Directors Association, Music Educators National Conference, the Illinois Music Educators Association, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Pahel is a frequent adjudicator for high school solo and ensemble contests as well as a clinician for large group contests and festivals.

Related Stories

Back to News & Events

Did you know?

  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College is proudly test optional. Applicants may choose whether or to submit SAT or ACT scores for admission and scholarship consideration. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/admission/apply/test-optional/" target="_blank">Test Optional</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College has an active Pipe & Drum Band. Each year on Scholar’s Day in April the bagpipers wake students up at 6:00 a.m. by playing in the residence halls!</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/music/pipe-band/" target="_blank">Pipe Band</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> 99% of Monmouth students received some type of scholarship or financial assistance.</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/offices/student-financial-planning/types-of-aid/scholarships/" target="_blank">Scholarships</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College offers several international trips each year during 2-week Scots Terms in January and May. Recently students have traveled to Botswana, Greece, Scotland, Japan, and more. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_urls"><a href="https://monmouthcollege.edu/offices/global-engagement/" target="_blank">Scots Term</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College has an educational garden and 6.7 acre farm. Students grow and harvest fruits and vegetables to sell at the local farmer’s market. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_urls"><a href="https://monmouthcollege.edu/academics/only-at-monmouth/educational-garden-farm/" target="_blank">Garden & Farm</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College offers unique academic minors in Global Public Health and Global Food Security for students who want to use their education to address global challenges. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/global-public-health/" target="_blank">Global Public Health</a></li><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/global-food-security/" target="_blank">Global Food Security</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> 98% of Monmouth graduates were employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation.</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/wackerle-center/career-services/" target="_blank">Career Preparation</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College covers the cost for all current students to get a U.S. passport. Unlock access to over 198 different countries! We’ll even help with the paperwork :)</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/study-abroad/" target="_blank">Study Abroad</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> We’re no stranger to winning. Last year the Fighting Scots won Midwest Conference championships in Football, Women’s Soccer, Women’s Basketball and Men’s Track and Field. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_urls"><a href="https://monmouthscots.com/" target="_blank">Fighting Scots</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> We offer a certified Peace Corps Preparation program that gives Peace Corps bound graduates a leg up in the application process.</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/peace-corps-prep/" target="_blank">Peace Corps Prep</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p><strong>Monmouth College is the birthplace of the women’s fraternity movement. Pi Beta Phi, the first such collegiate women’s organization, was founded at Monmouth in 1867. It was followed three years later by Kappa Kappa Gamma. The two pioneering organizations today boast a total of 275 active chapters nationwide.</strong></p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/student-life/sororities-fraternities/" target="_blank">Sororities & Fraternities</a></li></ul></div></aside>