MSU President's Column for Traill County Tribune

March 28, 2015 

Join us for the multicultural festival planned for April 8

 

We cordially invite you to participate in a multicultural festival, a celebration of people and cultures, at Mayville State University Wednesday, April 8, 2015, beginning with cultural events at 4:00 p.m., and continuing at 7:00 p.m. with a concert. The festival is being hosted by the Division of Education and Psychology and the Office of Diversity at Mayville State. Everyone is welcome!

Faculty, students, and staff have been working to organize a festival that will highlight world cultures and to strengthen the connection between Mayville State University and the community. At the festival, attendees will have the opportunity to speak with international and multicultural students about regions of the world, to watch a variety of multicultural presentations, and to be entertained by performances of dance and music from around the world. Members of a number of student organizations, including international students, are actively participating in the event.

Cultural events will begin at 4:00 p.m. in the MSU Campus Center. You’ll be able to experience art from Japan, salsa dancing from Colombia, Spanish music from Ecuador, dancing from Zimbabwe, world cultures, global awareness, Mayville State international student displays, and information from Mayville State student organizations.

There will be a time of socializing from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. Food will be available for purchase from our local restaurants, La Cantina (Tex-Mex cuisine) and the Whistle Stop restaurant.

Musical entertainment will begin in the Classroom Building Auditorium at 7:00 p.m. The concert will feature the Lincoln High School Choir from Thief River Falls, Minn.; and vocalist Cristina Vallejo and Jhonny Vallejo (on the keyboard), a father and daughter duo from Cuenca Ecuador, who will perform Latin American music.

The Lincoln High School concert choir is made up of auditioned juniors and seniors. Each year the choir performs a traditional December concert consisting of classic choral literature including composers such as Mozart, Handel, and Rachmaninoff. The choir always performs two shows per concert, selling out many of their shows.

Since 2001, the choir has produced a spring show that focuses on diversity in our world. The choir has studied Jewish, African American, and Native American music. The spring shows are brought to New York City every other year. These shows have been performed at St. John the Divine and Jazz at Lincoln Center in the famous Allen Room overlooking Central Park.

The choir also travels to Minneapolis each January, where they perform at various churches within the Metro area. Robert Robinson and members of the Twin Cities Gospel Choir have performed with the choir members in Minneapolis over the years. Each year since 2001, the choir, directed by Darcy Reese, has brought in and works with various music historians, singers, and instrumentalists from around the United States.

The choir has performed at a number of major venues, including Carnegie Hall in New York City, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2000,; St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan, N.Y., 1996, 1998; St. John The Divine in Harlem, N.Y., 2004; Jefferson memorial in Washington, D.C., 2006; St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., 2010; and Concordia College, as one of four select honor choirs, 2012.

You won’t want to miss this opportunity to see and hear the Lincoln High School concert choir or the other performers. We invite you to join us for the entire festival, where we’ll promote cultural recognition and respect, celebrate the diversity of our campus and the community, and honor our community’s heritage and diversity. If you have questions, please feel free to contact Marcelo Campoverde at mfestival@mayvillestate.edu.