Andrews & SWAU Singers to Collaborate at GC

Joint concerts will be held at historic church

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The Andrews University Singers will be collaborating with the Southwestern Adventist University Singers for two concerts during the upcoming General Conference Session in San Antonio Texas.

The University Singers are a choral group sponsored by the Andrews University Department of Music and directed by Stephen Zork, associate professor of music. The Southwestern Adventist University Singers are a choral group conducted by Jonathan Wall, chair of the Department of Music and a former student of Zork.

The concerts, which are free and open to the public, will be held at 2 p.m. on July 10 and 11 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, an historic and architectural San Antonio landmark. The theme is “Celebrating Jesus Christ’s Ministry to the Underserved, the Sick, and the Needy.” They will also feature Charles Reid, an opera tenor and associate professor of voice in the Andrews University Department of Music and the Southwestern Adventist University String Quintet, conducted by Marc Elysee, assistant professor of music.

Wall emphasized, “I feel strongly that this concert is a community concert. We know many Adventists will attend but I am dedicated to…inviting the San Antonio community.”

In a further emphasis of the General Conference Session’s celebration of unity in diversity, there will be several joint numbers including the chorale from Central Adventist University of Sao Paulo in Brazil as directed by Andrews alum Marcelo Martins, as well as the Unionaires from Union College, directed by Dan Lynn, professor of music.

“We share a passion for the highest level of choral artistry and the mission of Jesus Christ,” says Zork. “We’re doing music that’s international in scope and celebrates servitude from a Christian perspective. We hope to add an artistic element to San Antonio’s image of the Adventist Church, seeking not just to entertain, but to move people and reach them wherever they are.”

Jiri Moskala, dean of the Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, agrees. "In a busy world, time needs to be set aside to reflect and meditate on the power of God's love," he says. "These beautiful choral concerts provide an opportunity for the San Antonio community and General Conference attendees to come together for a common purpose, to be inspired by the message and gift of sacred music."