Concordia University, Nebraska

On Friday, March 22, the Concordia Music Department hosted its Spring 2024 composers' recital. The composers' recital provides a unique opportunity for students who have composed original musical works to debut them in front of an audience. The program featured pieces by five different Concordia students. Performances included arrangements for voice, saxophone, organ, piano, violin and viola.

On Sunday, March 24, Concordia's music department hosted its spring chamber recital. Chamber recitals, given once each semester, allow students to facilitate, practice, and perform pieces of their choice in small, or "chamber," ensembles. Students' ability to choose their own pieces opens the recitals to a variety of musical genres, instrumentations and arrangements. Six ensembles performed at this spring's event, which included both vocal and instrumental performances in the recital hall of the newly renovated Borland Center for Music and Theatre.

Concordia University, Nebraska's theatre department will perform the play "Little Women" in the Black Box Studio Theater in the Borland Center for Music and Theatre March 22-24.

Four members of Concordia's Wind Symphony participated in the 2024 Nebraska State Bandmasters Association Convention held in Lincoln, Neb. on March 2. The annual NSBA convention brings together middle schools, high schools and colleges from across the state to partake in several days of music-making and other activities. The intercollegiate band takes place during this convention.

On November 12, 2023, Concordia's music department hosted its fall honor recital. The semiannual honor recital at Concordia showcases the vocal and instrumental talents of student musicians. Musicians are chosen to perform based on auditions judged by music department faculty members. The recital is held twice a year, once each semester.

On November 7th, Concordia University, Nebraska's music department hosted its Fall 2023 Composers Recital. Included in the program were pieces composed by six different Concordia students. The pieces included works for organ, voice, flute, and piano.

The Concordia University forensics department hosted the university's annual fall Bulldog Tournament speech and debate event on the Concordia campus on Saturday, September 30.

The Concordia Theatre department presented six student-directed performances on Thursday, April 20th, Friday, April 21 and Sunday, April 23rd in the Weller Chapel for Concordia's Annual One Act Play Festival.

Concordia University, Nebraska's theatre department will be performing the musical, "The Addams Family," in Weller Hall on November 4th and 5th and November 10th - 12th.

The Concordia Nebraska Theater Department performed three showings of 12 Angry Jurors from March 31-April 2. The play depicts a group of 12 jurors in a room as they debate whether a young man is considered innocent or guilty of murder. Emotions arise and the true personalities of the jurors come to the surface while they discuss their decision.

The Concordia University, Nebraska forensics team competed in several national championship events in March and April 2023. The team attended the Asynchronous Speech Championship March 22-26, the AFA National Speech Tournament March 31-April 3 and the National Christian College Forensics Association Tournament March 30-April 1.

During this year's honor recital program, three students were inducted into the Iota Nu Chapter of Pi Kappa Lambda, the national honor society for higher education music students.

On April 4th, Concordia University, Nebraska hosted the Spring 2023 Honor Recital

Concordia University, Nebraska held its Spring Composer's Recital on Tuesday, March 24 at St. John Lutheran Church in Seward, Nebraska.

On Sunday, March 26th, Concordia's music department hosted their spring chamber recital.

On Saturday, February 11, Concordia Nebraska hosted the Nebraska Intercollegiate Forensics Association (NIFA) State Tournament. The prestigious tournament featured competition from many of the nation's top forensics programs. Several Concordia speech and debate team members achieved noteworthy success at the event.

Concordia's A Cappella Choir represented the university at the Nebraska Music Education Association conference on Nov. 18.

Concordia University Nebraska performed three showings of Twelfth Night from October 28-October 30.

The Concordia University forensics department hosted a speech and debate tournament on the Concordia campus on Saturday, October 1. This was the first in-person forensics event for the department since 2019. "It was a pleasure to welcome other colleges to our campus to compete in the 11 AFA-NST Individual Speech Events as well as team Parliamentary Debate," said Concordia's Director of Forensics Joe Davis. Concordia faculty and staff helped judge the event. Participating schools were from Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota and South Dakota. "Being back in person for a competition was a reminder as to why I love the activity and enjoy getting to connect with competitors from other schools," said senior Sabrina Reed who placed second in prose interpretation. "I am grateful we were able to compete in person again on our home campus for the first time since I was a freshman and I look forward to what the season brings." Freshman Matt Koenig and sophomore Aarin Dean were named parliamentary debate champions. Three Concordia Nebraska students also received parliamentary debate speaker awards: Zipporah Johnson received third place, Koenig received second place, and Dean received first place. "It was so exciting to have debate back on campus after a decade away," said Forensics Graduate Assistant and Interim Director of Debate Malia Frerking. "It was a bonus that we won, but honestly, just having the program back on campus was the best part of the weekend. I'm very proud of the progress that our debaters have made, and how they are working to shape the future of our team." About Concordia University, Nebraska Concordia University, Nebraska, founded in 1894, is a fully accredited, coeducational university located in Seward, Nebraska, that currently serves more than 2,500 students. Concordia offers more than 100 undergraduate, graduate and professional programs in an excellent academic and Christ-centered community that equips men and women for lives of learning, service and leadership in the church and world. For more information, visit cune.edu.

Concordia University, Nebraska's Vocal Jazz Choir will travel to Missouri, Indiana and Iowa for its performance tour May 7-11. Under the direction of Dr. Kurt von Kampen, Concordia University Nebraska's Vocal Jazz Choir, a 14-voice select ensemble which performs standard jazz and pop-influenced choral music, will perform in five cities on their tour. Concert sites include Kansas City, Missouri; St. Peters, Missouri; Indianapolis, Indiana; Fort Wayne, Indiana and Cedar Falls, Iowa.

On Friday, October 21st, Concordia's music department hosted their fall chamber recital. There was a wide variety of acts hosted, boasting a range of genres of music, including a range from a bold, flirty vocal quartet to a somber, bombastic trombone duet.

Concordia music students performed in the annual Spring Honor Recital on April 13

Concordia music students recently performed during the Spring 2022 Chamber Recital on April 1, at St. John Lutheran Church in Seward, presenting music by Antonio Vivaldi, Franz Schubertm James Erb, William Horsely, Euday L. Bowman, and Kendra Johnson.

Concordia University, Nebraska's department of Art recently announced this year's awards and scholarship rceipients during the Annual Art Show on April 4. These awards and scholarships are given based on a student's artwork in the annual Student Art Show that was on display in the Marxhausen Gallery of Art from March 27 to April 12.

Concordia music students performed in the annual Spring Honor Recital on March 30 that was livestreamed on the music department's Facebook page. The semiannual honor recital at Concordia showcases the vocal and instrumental talents of student musicians. Musicians are chosen to perform based on auditions judged by music department faculty. The recital is held twice a year, once each semester.

Concordia University Nebraska held its Spring Composers Recital on Tuesday, March 29 at St. John Lutheran Church in Seward, Nebraska. Included in the program were premiere performances of pieces written by ten Concordia student composers, comprised of a variety of music written for vocals, piano, winds and strings.

The Concordia theatre department performed four student directed performances each night from March 31 to April 2 in the Thom Auditorium for the annual One-Act Play Festival. This festival is the practical component of the Communication Theatre Arts Play Production class. The class takes the students through the process of analyzing their play from multiple perspectives, including design, technical and acting choices, so they are prepared to work with their peers to produce a complete performance.

Concordia University, Nebraska music students performed in the semiannual honor recital Oct. 27 in front of a limited audience in attendance, while the performances were streamed on the music department's Facebook page.

The Concordia theatre department has been developing and performing radio plays as a way for actors and crew to continue honing their crafts despite being limited by public health safety measures.

This year's Spring Honor Recital looks a bit different for Concordia University, Nebraska music students. Typically, students would perform their pieces in front of a live audience in the Music Building's recital hall. For this spring's Honor Recital, each student recorded a video of themselves performing that was then compiled into a video and shared online.