The North Iowa Choral Society presents its Annual Spring Concert, “Music Lives,” on Friday, April 26, at 7:00 p.m. in the North Iowa Area Community Auditorium.  The audition-only SATB choral ensemble is under the direction of Linda Ferjak and accompanied by Nathan Elsbernd.  The ensemble, which is sponsored by North Iowa Area Community College, has been vocalizing and sharing beautiful music with north Iowa audiences since Fall 1994 when the ensemble was formed under the direction of Robert Davis.  The ensemble performs sacred and secular music from various genres (classics, spirituals, musical theater, jazz, swing, blues, etc.) and has performed at Iowa Choral Directors Conventions, the Choral Symposium, KCMR Live Christmas, Waldorf Performing Arts Series, NIACC’s Candlelight Christmas and Holiday Pops, and in NIACC’s Performing Arts Series with Shirley Jones in 2002.

The ensemble plans to honor former member, Lowell Gangstad, who passed away suddenly last year, by featuring a piece that Mr. Gangstad wrote called “This is the Day” and performing one of his favorite songs, “I’ll Fly Away.”  Also featured are pieces written by former ensemble member Bill Backlin, “In Sound, In Silence,” and a piece that was arranged by current member, Carlton Show, “How Shall I Receive Thee.”  Some of the featured musical selections also include music by Eriks Esenvalds, Johann Sebastian Bach, Orlando Di Lasso, and David Dickau.  The concert will also feature several smaller ensembles from within the group.

Linda Ferjak is a graduate of Wartburg College (BME) and the University of Northern Iowa (MM).  She is a lifetime resident of Iowa and is recently retired as the Director of Vocal Music for grades 7-12 at Bishop-Garrigan in Algona, Iowa.  High school choirs under Ferjak’s direction have earned multiple Division I ratings in both large and small group contests, performed for numerous church and community events, and have represented their schools in the Iowa All State Chorus.  Her choirs have sung in St. Matthews Cathedral in Washington D.C., Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, and Our Lady of Guadalupe and the United Nations in New York City.  In 2005 she was co-director of the North Iowa Youth Chorale participating in a Carnegie Hall residency performance and was the guest conductor for the North Central District Honor Choir and the Iowa OPUS Honor Choir in Fall 2012.  She received the “Outstanding High School Teacher” award from Wartburg College in 2015.  Ferjak is an Adjudicator for the High School Music Association and has served as a mentor for first year teachers through the North Central District of the Iowa Choral Directors Association. She has also directed church choirs and community choirs in several communities over her 44 years of teaching.

North Iowa Choral Society rehearses on Sunday evenings from 5:30-7:30 p.m. from September through April in the NIACC Vocal Music Room.  NIACC offers credit hours for membership in the Choral Society for college students and continuing education credit for area vocal teachers who require continuing education accredited hours.  If interested in membership, please reach out to Choral Society President, Julie Phillips, at 641-529-6039.  You may also visit the ensemble on NIACC’s website @ https://www.niacc.edu/the-arts/vocal-music/nics/.

Tickets for the concert are $5 and may be purchased from any Choral Society member or at the door the evening of the performance.

 # # #

Ref # 6480