The UTC Chamber Singers and Chattanooga Singers will present “Northern Lights,” a free concert featuring music from the Baltic States, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 10, in the Roland Hayes Concert Hall in the UTC Fine Arts Building.
This free concert will feature music by Estonian composer Veljo Tormis, Latvian composers Rihards Dubras, Peteris Vasks, and Andrejs Jansons, Norwegian composers Kim André Arnesen, Trond Kverno, Knut Nystedt, Finnish composers Edvard Grieg, Harri Wessman, Einojuhani Rautavaara, and Swedish composers Carl-Bertil Agnestig, Jan Sandström, and Gustaf Nordqvist.
Student soloists include Jessica Adams, Kristen Vradenburgh, Taylor Hamilton, Brandon Middlebrooks, Jacob Hoverman, Morgan Ferrel and will include student conductors Kristen Vradenburgh and Taylor Hamilton. Both choruses are directed by Kevin Ford and accompanied by David Friberg.
A second, underlying theme for the concert is that of Peace. This part of the world has known occupation and freedom that came through peaceful means of group singing. Enjoy a peaceful evening of great music, said officials.
Review for Kevin Ford:
Joseph Kevin Ford was born in Chickamauga. He earned the BS in Choral and Instrumental Music Education from UTC, the MME, and the Ph.D. in Choral Music Education from The Florida State University. While at Florida State University he studied conducting with Rodney Eichenberger and served as his assistant conductor for two years. He has also studied conducting with Dr. André Thomas and wind band conducting with Dr. James Croft. Dr. Ford has continued his conducting training through workshops with Robert Shaw, Roger Wagner, Dale Warland, Frederic Fennel, and Arnold Gabriel.
Dr. Ford taught High School Chorus, Band and Middle School Band in Rossville where his performance groups consistently made Superior ratings at festivals. He was formerly music program coordinator and choral director at Chattanooga State Technical Community College in Chattanooga. He was also teacher of conducting and choral music education at the Crane School of Music at The State University of New York College at Potsdam where he founded the Potsdam Community Chorus and formed and directed the chorus for the opening ceremony of the 2000 Goodwill Games in Lake Placid, NY. Dr. Ford also served on the faculty of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte as director of Choral Activities and coordinator of Vocal Music Education prior to his current appointment as director of Choral Activities at UTC.