The Concert Choir
 In
their fourth year under new director Dr. Marc Falk, the Coe College
Concert Choir is having more fun and performing better than ever. "Singing
together, and singing well, should be enjoyable," says
Falk," and we have a really good time."
Open
to all students by audition, the highlight of Concert Choir's
'07-'08 season will undoubtedly be their winter tour to Costa
Rica (January 1-13, 2008)! It promises to be a great tour,
with four concerts, as well as a skywalk through the cloud forest,
volcanoes, hot springs, native wildlife and folklore, meals with
Costa Rican families, travel by plane, bus, and boat, and a couple
of days to relax on the beach. Our
itinerary and pictures can be found here.
When not touring the Choir can be found performing 8-10 times
per year, both on and off campus. The group produces fun
and interesting concerts with a good mixture of music from all
eras and an emphasis on 20th and 21st century music. Recent
programs include; "War, Peace, and Reconciliation," "American
Voices," "Wake, Awake!," and this year's
fall and tour program "A Pilgrim's Journey: Life,
Love, and Lamentation" focusing on music from South America.
Another choral highlight is the performance of a major work
with the Coe College Symphony Orchestra every other spring. Recent
performances include J.S. Bach's Cantata 140 and Francis
Poulenc's Stabat mater, and Spring '08 will feature
a performance of Felix Mendelsohhn's Die erste Walpurgisnacht and
works by Beethoven and Coe College composition professor, Joe
Dangerfield. The choir also hosts the Coe College Men's
Honor Choir Festival, an annual event that brings 300+ high school
men from across the state of Iowa together for a day of singing
and camaraderie and an evening concert.
Coe College
Men's Honor Choir Festival Registration
"Being part of building
a new tradition can be just as rewarding as joining an already
existing one," says Falk, "and twenty years down
the road you'll be able to say 'yes, I was part of one
of the first choirs that Dr. Falk had at Coe - we were really
in on the beginning of something big!'"
"I definitely felt challenged in
Concert Choir. Each year, the director chose one large piece. My
junior year it was Poulenc's Stabat Mater--one
of the most difficult pieces of music I've encountered. At
the end of the term we performed it at Immaculate Conception Catholic
Church, a beautiful and memorable experience."
Katie Becker '07
Topeka, Kansas
B.A., Theatre Arts
For more information on choirs and singing at Coe, contact Marc
Falk at mfalk@coe.edu.
 Marc
Falk, Assistant Professor of Music, directs the Concert Choir,
Men's Honor Choir Festival, and musical theatre productions at
Coe and teaches music history and music appreciation. A graduate
of Macalester College, Mr. Falk completed his Master of Music
degree at the University of Minnesota and
the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting and Pedagogy
from the University of Iowa.
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