The North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) Concert Choir and NIACC Singers return to public performance on Saturday, December 4, 2021, at 2 p.m. to present their Winter Concert “Even When He is Silent.”

The Concert Choir returns following a one-year hiatus resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are thrilled for the opportunity to once again share the music performed by our Concert Choir and NIACC Singers with an audience,” said NIACC Director of Choral Activities, Jayson Ryner.

Last year, only the College’s smaller auditioned group, the NIACC Singers, was active and even that membership dropped from over 30 to 12. Without the opportunity to perform for large audiences, the group sang for small holiday parties and assisted with the Auditorium renovation. The “Singers” also recorded and released videos of their work through social media. Ryner used the down time for a brief sabbatical, and he was temporarily replaced for the semester by Mr. Jamie Kelley.

Now back at the College Ryner noted, “I am very happy to be leading this excellent group of singers again!”

Following the COVID-19 slow-down and return of Ryner to his Director’s position, enrollment in the Concert Choir doubled within two weeks from 14 students to a good-sized group of 24 enthusiastic singers.

“I am extremely grateful for the students who chose to help rebuild the ensembles,” said Ryner.

In his 21^st year at the College, Ryner believes this is one of his most focused groups of students. “We rely on a high level of musicality and precision in order to accomplish difficult music with a smaller number of people,” he said.  When given the opportunity to steer the direction of the concert, the new choir members chose to bring a Christmas Holiday theme to the stage. Featured seasonal selections include “Mary Did You Know,” “Silent Night,” “The First Noel,” and other well-known holiday selections. Other music that fits within the message of the season will also be included.

“Because we start rehearsing in August, we also have material from the first month of the semester that will be crafted into the theme” said Ryner.

The choir brings to the stage 27 singers–24 of whom are freshmen. Ryner is confident that with good retention and a full recruiting year, the choir will quickly recover to the 55-60 singers to which audiences have grown accustomed.

“It is wonderful to be back in full swing and able to present concerts again,” said Ryner. “What we really need now is an audience. The department needs not only the financial support of patrons, but also the emotional support from our community. It will be a wonderful event…coming together for a beautiful afternoon concert to kick off the advent season.”

General admission tickets for the December 4 concert are available by calling the NIACC Box Office at 641-422-4188 and may also be purchased at the door. Admission is $10 for adults and $7 for students.

North Iowa Area Community College, founded in 1918, is a nationally-recognized, two-year college located in central North Iowa.  With approximately 3,000 career and transfer students, the College has been recognized by the Aspen Institute as a leading community college in the nation.  NIACC welcomes students from across Iowa, Minnesota, the nation, and the world. The College has served as a leader in student-centered learning, community engagement, and collaborative leadership for more than 100 years. Choose NIACC First.

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