Colorado State University Pueblo Fall Choral Concert

PUEBLO—The combined choirs of Colorado State University Pueblo will present their fall concert, “Eyes on the Stars and Feet on the Ground” on Friday, October 28, 2022 at 7:00 pm in Hoag Hall on the CSUP campus. Admission is free and the event is open to the public.

Under the direction of Assistant Professor and Director of Choral Activities, Dr. Jennifer Bruton, the combined choirs will perform a variety of repertoire accompanied by Diane Eickelman, collaborative pianist. A number of the selections are unaccompanied, including a set of nursery rhymes that were set to music by composer and faculty member of West Virginia University, Thomas Canning. Other concert selections include works by Morten Lauridsen, Randall Thompson, and newer works by living composer Linda Kachelmeier and composer/arranger Tammy Mansfield.

“As a new faculty member, I wanted to bring new repertoire to the choirs while also exposing the singers to classic gems of the choral tradition,” says Dr. Bruton. She continues, “Many of our students are going to become music educators, so singing in choir is much more than an elective in their degree program, it’s a chance to learn rehearsal techniques, learn about the voice, and expand their knowledge of choral music so that they can choose appropriate repertoire for the choirs they will conduct in the future. It’s the ultimate ‘passing of the baton,’ to borrow a metaphor from our athletic friends.” Representation and diversity are important topics being addressed on many college campuses and faculty like Dr. Bruton are working to include composers who may not have been at the fore of choral music in the past. Connections to living composers are particularly important as Dr. Bruton explains, “During the course of this semester, the choirs will learn pieces by Dr. David Volk, faculty member and composer at CSUP, as well as music by non-binary composers, female composers, as well as what is considered more traditional repertoire. It is such a joy to hand out a piece of music to the choir and then talk to them about who the composer is because I know them personally. The world of music is so small- talent is all around you!”

At first glance, the concert selections might seem random, but if you look closely, there are threads that tie it all together. The choir has drawn inspiration from quotes like these, “Looking at these stars suddenly dwarfed my own troubles and all the gravities of terrestrial life. I thought of their unfathomable distance, and the slow inevitable drift of their movements out of the unknown past into the unknown future,” from H. G. Wells, Time Machine. We hope our audience enjoys both the serious and the fanciful moments as the combined choirs of CSUP bring their gift of song to the stage on October 28th. The concert will be held in Hoag Hall on the CSUP campus. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information about this event, please contact Dr. Jennifer Bruton, Director of Choral Activities. Visit the Department of Music at CSU Pueblo for more information. 

Chamber Choir

• Kali Ahrens, Colorado Springs, Vista Ridge High School
• Marilyn Akwaboa, Aurora, Cherokee Trail High School
• Madeline Ballard, Westcliffe, Custer County High School
• Lawrence Ceniza, Pueblo, Centennial High School
• Tiana Cuthbert, Colorado Springs, Mitchell High School
• Jordan Epperson, Cañon City, Cañon City High School
• Jaidyn Fenton, Pueblo, Pueblo South
• Lani Martinez-Fear, Pueblo, Pueblo East High School
• Mariah Foster, Florence, Florence High School
• Briana King, Colorado Springs, Sand Creek High School
• Virginia Lusker, Nashville, TN, Pueblo Central High School
• Wyatt McBroom, Lamar, Lamar High School
• Noelle Redmond, Colorado Springs, Discovery Canyon
• Colton Reulecke, Falcon, Falcon High School
• Jackson Ridpath, Pueblo, Centennial High School
• Gabriel Saldaña, Lamar, Lamar High School
• Kayla Slaughter, Pueblo, Centennial High School
• Tallen Smith, Pueblo, Pueblo West High School
• Ty Souza-Martinez, Honolulu, Hawaii, Kalani High School
• Mitchell Sullivan, Tallahassee, FL, Pueblo County High School
• Brandi Timmons, Kingman, AZ, Homeschool
• Myracle Wade, Colorado City, Rye High School

Concert Choir

• Kali Ahrens, Colorado Springs, Vista Ridge High School
• Lawrence Ceniza, Pueblo, Centennial High School
• Jaidyn Fenton, Pueblo, Pueblo South
• Phillip Martinez II, Pueblo, Pueblo East High School
• Jay Martinez, Pueblo, Pueblo South High School
• Caleb Medran, Woodland Park, Colorado Springs Early Colleges
• Alex Rios, Fountain, Fountain-Fort Carson High School
• Kayla Slaughter, Pueblo, Centennial High School
• Ty Souza-Martinez, Honolulu, Hawaii, Kalani High School
• Trenton Stenger, Fountain, Fountain-Fort Carson High School
• Mitchell Sullivan, Tallahassee, FL, Pueblo County High School
• Myracle Wade, Colorado City, Rye High School

Dr. Jennifer Bruton, a native of the Chicago area, has recently taken the position of Director of Choral Activities at Colorado State University Pueblo. Jennifer lived in Hattiesburg, Mississippi for over 20 years serving as a church music director, performing as a vocalist, and conducting choirs, musical theatre productions, and operas across the Pinebelt region. With degrees in Music Marketing, Vocal Performance & Pedagogy, and Conducting, her versatility has her in demand as a voice teacher, performer, and consultant. Dr. Bruton has sung with the San Antonio Symphony, the Festival of the Aegean in Greece, Southern Opera and Musical Theatre, and Hattiesburg Civic Light Opera. Her experience as a voice instructor and professional vocalist brings a unique perspective to her choral direction. She is at ease with a variety of musical styles and ensembles, from traditional choirs to pop performance groups. Dr. Bruton has conducted and taught at the University of Southern Mississippi, the Natchez Festival of Music, FestivalSouth, Jones College, Hattiesburg Civic Light Opera, and with the Hub City Players.

Diane Eickelman is a senior lecturer in functional piano classes, staff accompanist, and coordinator of the piano proficiency program at CSU Pueblo. As the staff accompanist, she accompanies all music students, instrumental and vocal and choirs. She has accompanied choirs in China, and European tours to Austria, Czech Republic, Italy, England, Wales, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Spain, Portugal, and Scotland. Her experiences in accompanying also include concerts with guest trumpet soloist Robert Nagel and French horn artists Stewart Clark, Thomas Bacon, Eric Ruske, Steve Gross (American Horn competition winners) and Francis Orval. Conductors played under include Kurt Frederick (orchestra), Bradley Ellingboe, John Clark, Dana Ihm, and Mark Hudson (choir). She has accompanied a number of High School choirs and musicals in Pueblo, directed a Slovenian choir for a number of years and taught Middle School choir and mathematics in Albuquerque, NM as well as private piano studio and free-lance accompanying. Diane Eickelman received her Master of Music in accompanying from the University of New Mexico and her Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from the University of Southern Colorado (now CSU Pueblo).