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Winter Choral Concert on March 1 to include performances by three ensembles
ASHLAND, Ohio – Ashland University’s annual Winter Choral Concert is set to take place on Sunday, March 1, at 4 p.m., and will include performances by the AU Chamber Singers, the Ashland Area Chorus and the AU Choir. The concert, which is free and open to the public, will take place at Jack and Deb Miller Chapel. Ron Blackley, director of choral activities and professor of music at AU, will serve as conductor. The AU Chamber Singers, a select choir, will…
Department of Music to welcome music and brain research scholar for two-day residency Feb. 19-20
ASHLAND, Ohio – The Ashland University Department of Music will be hosting special guest Laura A. Stambaugh, Ph.D., whose scholarship bridges learning music and brain research, for a two-day residency on Thursday, Feb. 19, and Friday, Feb. 20. Stambaugh will lead four sessions, highlighted by a Thursday night presentation, “Does Music Make You Smarter?” at 7 p.m. All sessions are free and open to the public and will take place in room 242 of the Center for the…
Renovated piano lab honoring Ron Sprunger gifted to Department of Music
ASHLAND, Ohio – A chance meeting at a local coffee shop has led to the Ashland University Department of Music receiving a major facelift. The department’s Piano Lab—a classroom featuring 17 pianos on the third floor of the College of Arts and Sciences—received a complete renovation in 2025 to honor Ron Sprunger, a beloved professor emeritus of Ashland Theological Seminary. Annette Hruby, owner and founder of The Hruby Group, was in awe when she first heard…
Ashland Area Chorus ready to begin rehearsals for spring, starting Monday, Jan. 12
ASHLAND, Ohio – The Ashland Area Chorus, a community-based mixed choir, will begin its 2026 spring season on Monday, Jan. 12. The AAC is welcoming new members. There are weekly rehearsals for the chorus on Monday nights (with the exception of MLK Day) from 7-8:30 p.m., in room 242 of Ashland University’s Center for the Arts. “Following a very successful ‘Messiah’ presentation in the fall, the AAC will perform a program of beautiful music during the AU choral…
AU’s Festival of Lights taking place Sunday, Dec. 7
ASHLAND, Ohio – The 34th edition of Ashland University’s Festival of Lights, a collaboration between the choral music program and the Office of Christian Ministry, will take place Sunday, Dec. 7. The Advent candlelight service starts at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) at Jack and Deb Miller Chapel. AU’s Festival of Lights communicates the birth of Jesus Christ through verse and song. It consists of scripture readings, seasonal choral music and hymns by the…
AU music performing Handel’s “Messiah” during Nov. 9 fall choral concert
ASHLAND, Ohio – The Ashland University Department of Music will present “Messiah,” George Frideric Handel’s masterpiece, during its annual fall choral concert Sunday, Nov. 9, at 2:30 p.m., at Hugo Young Theatre inside the Center for the Arts. The AU Choir and Ashland Area Chorus will join with student and alumni soloists as well as the Ashland Chamber Orchestra, a fully professional ensemble, in concert. Both famous and lesser-known choruses and solo…
AU’s Madrigal Feaste taking place Nov. 20-23, tickets on sale through Nov. 17
ASHLAND, Ohio – Tickets are on sale now for the Madrigal Feaste, a beloved and long-standing Christmas tradition at Ashland University. The 49th annual event, presented by the AU Department of Music, will feature four performances from Thursday, Nov. 20, through Sunday, Nov. 23, at Redwood Hall. Doors open at 6 p.m. each night, and the royal procession begins at 6:30 p.m. The Madrigal Feaste takes audiences back to “Merry Olde England,” a term that refers to…
Ashland Area Chorus beginning rehearsals for 2025-26 season on Aug. 25
ASHLAND, Ohio – The Ashland Area Chorus, a community-based mixed choir of 40-50 singers, will begin its 2025-26 season Monday, Aug. 25. The AAC is still welcoming new members. Weekly rehearsals for the chorus will be held on Monday nights from 7-8:30 p.m., in room 242 of Ashland University’s Center for the Arts. “(The AAC) will perform Handel’s monumental masterpiece, ’Messiah,’ Nov. 9 and participate in the annual Festival of Lights on Dec. 7,” said Ron…
Spring Choral Concert to feature Mozart’s “Solemn Vespers,” several student soloists
ASHLAND, Ohio – Ashland University’s annual Spring Choral Concert, featuring four ensembles and a number of student soloists, will take place on Sunday, April 27, at 4 p.m., in the Jack and Deb Miller Chapel. It is free and open to the public. The AU Chamber Singers, a select choir of a dozen AU students, will perform a series of 19th, 20th and 21st century English part songs, which are unaccompanied secular songs typically with three or more voice parts. The…
AU Symphonic Band to conclude 2024-25 season with April 25 concert
ASHLAND, Ohio – The Ashland University Symphonic Band will present its final concert of the 2024-25 academic year, the annual Spring Band Concert, this Friday evening, April 25, at Hugo Young Theatre inside the Center for the Arts. The 7:30 p.m. concert is free and open to the public. The program will consist of a series of familiar tunes, starting with “All the Earth and Air” by Tyler Grant, Bert Appermont’s “Colors for Trombone” which will feature AU senior…
