Tower Choir

Formed decades ago by Ralph E. Hartzell, and presently under the direction of Dr. Stephen Town, the Tower Choir has a rich and varied history of outstanding choral performance and musical perfection marked by invitational appearances at a number of highly respected education/choral conventions, as for example the MMEA State Conventions in 1973, 1978, 1996, and 2003.

Since the 1999-2000 academic year, the premiere, auditioned, forty-eight-voice ensemble has pursued a challenging program of concert, tour, and clinic activities. Concerts were given at the Four State Honor Music Festival (2000, 2001, 2003, 2004) and at the culmination of the fall and spring trimesters, the latter (Spring 2000) of which included an orchestra in a performance of the thrilling Coronation Anthem No. 2, "The King Shall Rejoice," by Handel and several selections from the St. John Passion by Bach.

The ensemble was invited to appear on the "Dome and Spire" concert series of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints (now known as the Community of Christ), held in the splendidly-impressive, ultra-modern Independence, MO, Temple (Spring 2000); at the serenely-beautiful, old-world Basilica of Conception Abbey (Spring 2003); at the Presbyterian Church of the Cross and the Cathedral of Saint Cecilia, two Omaha, NE venues with well-known and respected concert series (Fall 2000); at the historic Missouri Theatre (St. Joseph, MO) with the St. Joseph Symphony -- as well as on campus as part of the Northwest Encore Series -- in a presentation of the famous Gloria by Francis Poulenc (Spring 2001); and at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (Fall 2000), where it participated in the Missouri Choral Directors Association Collegiate Choral Symposium. Other tour venues included churches/convents, schools, and universities -- throughout Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma during its Spring Extended Tour (2003) -- and in the Kansas City metropolitan area during its Fall Recruitment Excursion (2003).

The choir had the privilege of working intensely with several guest clinicians: Mary Alice Stollak (Director of Choral Activities for the Community Music School at Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI); Arnold Epley (Professor of Music at William Jewel College, Liberty, MO); Timothy Sharp (Director of Choral Activities at Rhodes College, Memphis, Tennessee); Donald Brinegar (Director of Choral and Vocal Studies at Pasadena City College, and co-director of the summer masters program at California State University, Los Angeles, CA); John Silantien (past editor of the American Choral Directors Association Choral Journal and Professor of Music at the University of Texas-San Antonio); Jameson Marvin (Professor of Music at Harvard University, Boston, MA); and Simon Carrington (a founding member of the King's Singers and Professor of Music at Yale University, New Haven, CT).

During the 1999-2000 academic year, the repertoire ranged from the Baroque period to the present time, embraced accompanied and unaccompanied anthems, chorales, madrigals, motets and part-songs for a combination of voices from SA to TB and from SATB to SSAATTBB in English, German, Italian and Latin; thereafter, it spanned the time from the Renaissance period to the present, including a larger portion of wonderful pieces with contemporary flair, unaccompanied and accompanied, in English, German, Latin and Spanish.

During the 2001-2002 academic year, Northwest hosted the Missouri Choral Directors Association Collegiate Choral Symposium, where the Tower Choir read a Randall Stroope work (in an unfinished stage), commissioned by Dr. Town for the ensemble. During the 2002-2003 academic year, the work was premiered in its completed form as "Caritas et Amor" at the 2003 MMEA State Convention and, along with the best live renditions of the unaccompanied and accompanied literature from the years 1999-2003, it was preserved on a compilation CD of the same name. During the 2003-2004 academic year, the choir modeled its musical versatility during the Fall Recruitment Excursion; at on-campus concerts; and at The College Music Society Great Plains Chapter 2004 Regional Meeting , where, as a result of a rigorous application process, it performed an invited concert and aided Dr. Town in his paper presentation, "Observations on the Creative Process of Charles Villiers Stanford," by singing the first movement of Elegiac Ode.

During the 2004-2005 academic year, the Tower Choir will appear at the Iowa Choral Directors Association (ICDA) State Symposium (September 24), which will be held at Drake University, Des Moines, IA (the ensemble will present an invited concert and serve as the demonstration choir); at the Northwest Concert Choir Festival (October 9), which will be hosted by NWMSU; with the Platte County R-3 High School Concert Choir (October 26) and the Liberty Senior High School Concert Choir (March 8), as part of the Northwest Choral Ensembles Concert Series; at the Four State Honor Music Festival (January 22); and at the fall and spring trimester concerts (November 21 and April 17). Also, fall and spring recruitment excursions are scheduled (October 31-November 1 and March 9, respectively).

The ensemble meets three times weekly (MWF) at 11am. Auditions are held the week before the beginning of the fall trimester for any interested student. Information regarding audition requirements is available in late July.

For specific information, please visit the Tower Choir.

Contact Information

For more information, contact:

Dr. Stephen Town at stown@nwmissouri.edu

Sample Media

Select one of the following sample media clips to hear the Tower Choir:

Northwest Missouri State University

Tower Choir

Contact Information

Sample Media