SOTP Artist Series

University of Illinois Alumni Concert Choir to perform at Shepherd of the Prairie

Under the direction of Dr. Chester L. Alwes, noted conductor, composer, and author, the voices of the 50-member University of Illinois Alumni Concert Choir will echo on Saturday, June 10, 2023 at 7:30pm at Shepherd of the Prairie Lutheran Church, 10805 Main Street, Huntley.

Admission to this performance is free and open to the public. Donations are gratefully accepted.

Sponsored by the SOTP Artist Series, a community outreach initiative sponsored by Shepherd of the Prairie Lutheran Church, the acclaimed University of Illinois Alumni Concert Choir will sing a variety of popular works suitable for all attendees who value the love and appreciation of music.

As a choral conductor, Dr. Alwes is known for his innovative programming, his sensitivity to tone and musical line, and his dedication to the musical success and growth of his singers. Throughout his career, Alwes has been widely hailed as a teacher/mentor, scholar, editor, and composer.

He holds degrees in music from Hanover College (BA), Union Theological Seminary School of Sacred Music (MSM), and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (DMA). Prior to joining the University of Illinois faculty in 1982, he held teaching positions at the College of Wooster (Ohio) and the University of Rochester/Eastman School of Music.

At the University of Illinois, Dr. Alwes has taught graduate courses in choral literature (both MM and DMA) and seminars on the works of J. S Bach and Henry Purcell as well as graduate and undergraduate conducting.

In 1996, he founded the Baroque Artists of Champaign-Urbana (BACH), an ensemble of singers and players drawn from the University and local community that specializes in the music of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Guests who attend this concert by the University of Illinois Alumni Concert Choir will enjoy the professionalism and top level of excellence expressed by conductor Dr. Alwes and the esteemed choir.

*** COMING IN JULY***

“WHAT’S MORE AMERICAN THAN BROADWAY”

Mark Olen and his “Stars and Stripes” Orchestra will present a special evening of entertaining Patriotic and Broadway musical selections during a free concert on July 2^nd at 7 p.m. at Shepherd of the Prairie Lutheran Church, 10805 Main Street.

Sponsored by the SOTP Artist Series, Mark Olen has performed in prior concerts, as well as various church services at Shepherd of the Prairie Lutheran Church.  Olen and his trumpet exhibit his versatility  by performances with the American Jazz Philharmonic, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, Ravinia Festival Orchestra, Grant Park, Elgin and Rockford Symphonies, Chicago Brass Quintet & Brassworks. He has been a soloist with Great Lakes Navy Band & Chicago Jazz Ensemble as well.  Mark and the “Stars and Stripes” Orchestra will be joined by renowned soloists Alyssa Allgood and Paul Marinaro.

Alyssa Allgood is a Chicago-based jazz vocalist who has been described as “assured and daring” by DownBeat Magazine and a “model of sophisticated song interpretation” by the Chicago Tribune.