Chancel Choir Is Europe Bound

• Photo and Story by Michael Barber

Who knew that a few sample songs on a CD stuffed into an overseas mailer bound for Germany would metamorphose into a full-fledged European musical adventure for the Chancel Choir?

Conductor Ronald Jenkins had no doubt.

“The choir sounds great,” Ronald said. “Every time we’ve concentrated this intensely on a set group of pieces to sing, the artistic level of our choir goes up. And it stays there.”

The group of 59 singers, whose age ranges from 19 to 80, will embark on a 10-day journey singing 9 performances in churches from Berlin, Germany to the Czech Republic. Twenty-eight friends, significant others and family members will travel with them in support.

The trip marks the fifth journey for the choir and it’s Maestro in the past 40 years. Ronald sees these experiences as part of a larger ministry.

“I think travel is the absolute best way to enlarge your world view,” Ron said. “In our current society with our world getting smaller, the more exposure we have to people of other countries, the more peaceful our world can be.”

The choir is particularly excited about singing in Frauenkirche, an Evangelical-Lutheran cathedral in Dresden, Germany. The structure was destroyed by American and British forces during World War ll, rebuilt nearly 50 years later in 1994.

“We are the first non-Frauenkirche choir to sing there,” Ronald said. “They’re allowing us to sing because of our “sister city” relationship, a relationship that began between Columbus, Ohio and Dresden, Germany in 1992.”

One other highlight is the inclusion of 4 soloists during High Mass in Salzburger Cathedral, located in Salzburger, Austria. Missa Longa, a Mass composed my Mozart, will feature Emily Rogers, Andrew Blosser, Julie Wilkinson and Robert Moreen.

Ronald asked János Czifra, the cathedral’s Music Director, if he would consider using the choir’s soloists for part of the Mass Sunday morning. “He said he would be delighted to use our soloists for the entire morning,” Ronald said. “It’s so awesome they’ll get to do that.”

The trip begins Friday, June 7 when the group boards flights to Berlin and ends June 17 as they leave Munich bound for home.

Ron hopes the choir will experience stronger friendships and the satisfaction of singing beautiful music while feeling really good about what they’ve accomplished. “I want that for them,” Ron said. “Some of the music is really hard, but in an acoustic environment – like in some of the churches we’re singing in Europe – it will be just amazing.”

April 26
Students and faculty from Jones Middle School make their way from the school to the First Community Church annex while on a “Hunger Line Walk.” The food drive, which included students collecting food door-to-door on their way, was a benefit for the Heart to Heart food pantry.
Photos by Michael Barber

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In 2007, the board of the Columbus Symphony Chorus (CSC) began dreaming of an appropriate way to honor its conductor, Ronald J. Jenkins, on the occasion of his then upcoming 25th anniversary season (2008-09). The board convened a small group of former CSC board presidents to serve as the steering committee for the effort. One member, Kim Boyd, suggested the Chorus commission a new work in celebration of Ron’s service.

When presented with the suggestion, Ron recommended that American composer Stephen Paulus be approached about creating the piece. Jenkins and Paulus collaborated on the text selection, and Jenkins further requested that at least one movement of the work be written a cappella, to focus on the Symphony Chorus’ skill in unaccompanied choral singing, as well as providing other choirs and choruses, without access to an orchestra, the ability to extract one movement to perform.

Now, in this 30th anniversary season under the stellar leadership of Maestro Jenkins, we are delighted to finally present Of Songs and Singing. We are deeply grateful to all of the many chorus members – present and past – as well as to many additional friends of Ron who made very generous financial contributions in support of this marvelous piece.

Event is Friday and Saturday, April 19 & 20, 8 pm
Ohio Theater, Tickets Available at Ticketmaster

Ronald Jenkins featured on WOSU, Classical 101
& on The Dispatch.com

Composer Sings Jenkins’ Praise

By Stephen Paulus

I wrote Of Songs and Singing in honor of the 30 years of wonderful music-making by Ronald Jenkins as director of the Columbus Symphony Chorus. It is an honor and a privilege to write a work for someone who has devoted a lifetime to the advancement of the choral arts. I have known Ron for several years now and I jumped at the chance to create something for him.

The work is in four movements and lasts just over 15 minutes. Of Songs and Singing features the poetry of Walt Whitman, Shakespeare, Rumi and Henry Heveningham. It is an eclectic mix that is typical of our diverse times and interests. The common theme to all of the poems is a celebration of music, songs and singing.

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Sponsored by Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence & First Community Church

Questions? KShaner@FCchurch.com