1. Kansas State University
  2. »Division of Communications and Marketing
  3. »K-State Today
  4. »K-State Choirs present Rhapsody Scholarship Benefit Concert, dedicate performance...

K-State Today

April 29, 2019

K-State Choirs present Rhapsody Scholarship Benefit Concert, dedicate performance to former director

Submitted by Blakely Bunning

The Kansas State University Choral Division will present the sixth annual Rhapsody Scholarship Benefit Concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 3. For the first time in its history, Rhapsody will be hosted at home in Manhattan at McCain Auditorium.

The event will feature the K-State Grand Chorus, conducted by Julie Yu, in a complete performance with orchestra of Mozart's stunning "Requiem" along works for large chorus, including Kirke Mechem's Danuel, Samuel Barber's Agnus Dei and Johann Sebastian Bach's Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden. Tickets can be purchased online or in person from the McCain Auditorium box office.

This year's Rhapsody performance will be dedicated to the the memory of Rod Walker, professor emeritus and previous director of choral activities at K-State, who died on Dec. 31, 2018. The Choral Division extends a special invitation to Rhapsody to Walker's many former students.

Over his 41 years teaching at K-State, from 1966-2007, Walker laid the foundation upon which the K-State Choral Division is built. To name of a few of his many accomplishments, Walker guest conducted 420 all-state, university, honor, regional, divisional and other festival choruses founded and directed the American Symposium for Choral Music, created the Summer Choral Institute for gifted high school singers — now in its 41st year — and performed nine concert tours on three continents with the K-State Choirs.

Since its first performance in 1865, the K-State Choral Music Division has provided Manhattan residents with a wide variety of choral music and quality entertainment. The Choral Music Division is led by Joshua Oppenheim and Julie Yu, associate professors of music and co-directors of choral studies. K-State Choirs currently has seven ensembles that range in size and style. Since 1966, the choirs have been selected 35 times to perform at state, regional and national conferences with the Music Educators National Conference, American Choral Directors Association, National Association for Music Education, and the National Collegiate Choral Organization.

The School of Music, Theatre, and Dance is a part of the College of Arts and Sciences. Visit k-state.edu/mtd to learn more.