By Jim Coleman
The Southern Utah Heritage Choir will present its annual fall concert, “Come Home,” Sept. 15. This magnificent concert will be held in the Cox Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. and all are welcome. Tickets are $15 and available at the DSU box office or from any choir member.
Under the direction of Dr. Ken Peterson, principal conductor, Dr. Nancy Allred, artistic director and pianist, and Karen Cantera, organist, the choir is thrilled to welcome featured soloists Amy Nielsen, soprano, Launa Whitehead, flutist, and Pine View High School Trilogy. Both Amy and Launa will perform marvelous solos that will add to an already stunning list of choral selections such as “Let Us All Press On” by Richard Elliott, “Anthems of Love” by Dan Forrest, and “Come Home” by Craig Courtney. Trilogy will perform a few selections of their own and collaborate with the Heritage Choir for the finale, “All Creatures of Our God and King.”
Nielsen completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music and recently finished her coursework for her doctorate degree in vocal performance and opera directing. She will soon begin working on her dissertation. A magnificent singer, teacher, and director, she has taught hundreds of music students in the public and private sector and performed at home and abroad in both concert and operatic roles. She currently serves as the general/executive director of St. George Opera. The founder of Prodigies Music Academy, she gives voice and piano lessons to students of all ages and ability levels.
Whitehead holds a master’s degree in flute performance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. After serving with her husband as mission president and wife of the England Bristol/Birmingham Mission, she joined the music faculty at Southern Virginia University where she was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award and also served as division chair for the fine and performing arts. She also taught music classes at Dixie State University, Southern Utah University, and the Tuacahn Center for the Arts. After retiring from Southern Virginia University, she and her husband, Richard, returned home to St. George and are thrilled to be back to the red hills of Dixie.
Trilogy is the auditioned chamber choir at Pine View High School. Directed by Robert Reimer, Trilogy has performed at the Utah Music Educators Association Midwinter Conference, the Utah State Superintendent’s Conference, and the NAU Jazz/Madrigal Festival in Flagstaff, Arizona. Trilogy students perform extensively, particularly during the Christmas season and singing valentines. Many Trilogy students are selected to perform annually in the Utah All-State Choir and the Utah Honor Choir performances.
During the 2016 season, the Heritage Choir completed a successful concert tour to Central Europe where they performed in major cathedrals in Poland, Austria, and Hungary, including St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna and the Matthias Church in Budapest. Most recently, the choir performed for the sesquicentennial celebration of the Cove Fort Historic Site and the opening of the St. George Visitors Center at the Old Pioneer Courthouse.
The Heritage Choir invites the community to enjoy this wonderful evening music Sept. 15. Upcoming performances include a concert in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square Oct. 7 and the annual Christmas concerts featuring acclaimed violinist Jenny Oaks Baker and Family Four, which will be held Dec. 15 and 16 in the Cox Auditorium.
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