Sunday... at Church, at a Concert, With Friends

Sunday was a marvelous day. First of all, our new friends from Sacred Harp, Paul and Shirley Figura, made our day by worshipping with us at Little Flock Primitive Baptist Church. Secondly, we heard a good sermon on the duties of mothers. The day kept skipping along wonderfully with a particularly delicious lunch and beautiful singing (if we do say so ourselves) in the afternoon.
But, no matter how well we blended our voices, it was nothing compared to the beautiful melodies and harmonies heard during the next portion of the day: our attendance at the Millikin University Choir concert. Since my undergrad degrees were obtained at Millikin, I was familiar with the high quality of performance, and I am happy that more and more friends have been able to share in the blessing of hearing them year after year. The University Choir has begun its annual winter tour and once again visited our area. So, ten of us set out after services to attend. Because of the dark setting within a nearby Catholic church sanctuary, this photo is not the greatest. But, hopefully you can see my good friends (L to R) Tracy, Lydia with Tressa, Tasha, Jeff with Abigail, Joshua, Chris, and Alan.

The University Choir (during their winter tour) always features many classical, worship, spiritual, and historial Christmas selections. However, a highlight of the concert was hearing the University Choir perform Pseudo-Yoik by Finnish composer, Jaakko Mäntyjärvi. I had heard it at least twice before and had forgotten what a unique treat it is. This partial recording does not do justice to this oddly beautiful piece.

New Vocabulary Term: YOIK

We continued the wonderful afternoon at a cookie and punch reception for Millikin alumni and friends. There, I was able to catch up with long-time friends, Mike Engelhardt and Dr. Janice Devore. Jan was the Dean of Students when I attended college and was my mentor as I continued my studies in Higher Education Administration. Today, she serves as the Millkin University Director of Alumni Relations.