CHESTERTOWN, MD— The Washington College Chorus and String Orchestra will collaborate Thursday evening, May 1, for a powerful performance of Karl Jenkins’ modern Requiem, featuring professor Jon “Kenzen” (研禅) McCollum on the Japanese shakuhachi. 

The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Decker Theatre, Gibson Center for the Arts, on the College campus, 300 Washington Avenue. Admission at the door is $10 for adults; $5 for WC faculty and staff, and ages 65 and over; and free for WC students and youth ages 18 and under. (For information on other Music Department concerts that will close out the semester, click here.)

Requiem (2005), by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins, is a modern classical work that draws from both Eastern and Western cultures. Featuring Asian and Middle Eastern instruments, the piece fuses Japanese death haikus with elements of a traditional Requiem Mass for the souls of the dead. Two of the movements incorporate both the haikus and Latin texts, juxtaposing traditional Japanese female voices with monastic males. 

In addition to Requiem, the Chorus will perform a variety of selections a cappella and with piano accompaniment. The program includes “Sure on this Shining Night” by Lauridsen; “Omnia Sol” by Stroope; “Praise His Holy Name” by Hampton; and “Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit” by Dawson. 

Associate Professor of Music Jon McCollum holds the master performing name “Kenzen”  (研禅)  for his expertise with the shakuhachi, a traditional end-blown flute, and its aesthetics in relation to Zen-Buddhism. He began studying the instrument in 1995, and in 2012 reached the impressive level of Jun Shihan, an associate master teacher’s license. McCollum holds a B.A. in Music Performance and Music History from Florida State University, an M.A. in Ethnomusicology from Tufts University, and a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from the University of Maryland.

Chorus conductor Douglas Byerly has led professional, community, and academic companies in productions of opera, operetta, and musical theater in more than 100 productions to date. In addition to teaching at Washington College, he is the Coordinator of Music at Anne Arundel Community College and Director of Music Ministry at the Archdiocese of Baltimore. He earned his B.A. from Western Michigan University and his M.A. in music education and conducting at The Peabody Conservatory. 

Director of the String Orchestra Kimberly McCollum is a violinistwho performs with area orchestras and chamber ensembles and as a soloist throughout the region. In addition to teaching at Washington College, she is on the faculty of Anne Arundel Community College and teaches in the Anne Arundel County School System. She is Associate Concertmaster of the Annapolis Chamber Orchestra and performs frequently with other regional orchestras. A graduate of Florida State University, she holds a master’s in performance from Boston University.