Northwest Choirs Performing at Heindl Center

by Sarah Smith

Senatobia, MS (03/21/2023) — The Northwest Mississippi Community College choirs will perform music themed around love, truth, war, and peace on Monday, March 27 at 7 p.m. at the Heindl Center for the Performing Arts. The choirs that are performing are the Men of Northwest, Northwest Women's Ensemble, Women of Northwest, Northwest Collegiate Chorale, and Northwest Pop Ensemble.

The three conductors for the event are J. Reese Norris, Dr. Stellah Mbugua, and Dr. Saundra Bishop. Jennifer Rushton will be playing piano accompanying Norris' and Dr. Mbugua's choirs. The choirs are excited for their sets, but some are especially exciting for this group.

"Our men's choir is performing a song set I wrote years ago," said Norris, director of choral activities.

In addition to Norris' excitement for his men's choir, he also mentioned a special group of sophomore students singing True Colors. This group of women performing were also Norris' students when he taught middle school.

Dr. Mbugua, assistant choral director, is excited for the Collegiate Chorale to perform a song in isiXhosa, a language spoken in South Africa and Zimbabwe. This song is a traditional South African song titled "Bawo Thixo Somandla."

This is just a little taste of Dr. Mbugua's homeland that she's shared with students, including her teaching methods such as rote teaching. Rote teaching is by imitation which is the popular form of teaching music in Africa, where Dr. Mbugua is from.

"I teach them by singing, then they sing it back to me," Dr. Mbugua explained.

Dr. Mbugua said that the students picked it up quite quickly and that they seem to be doing well with the teaching method.

The performing choirs have been practicing from mid-January to mid-March for this performance.

This will be the first time that the Northwest student choirs have performed at the Heindl Center. They will perform again April 20 for the "Northwest Chamber and Friends."

Tickets are available online for purchase at northwestms.edu/tickets for $10 each.