Alumni Choir

Academics / Departments & Programs / Music / Ensembles / Alumni Choir

The Calvin Alumni Choir is established to organize and promote choral singing of the highest caliber.

Through rehearsal and performance, the choir, in community, will cultivate and develop an awareness, understanding, and appreciation for the Christian faith, for choral music both sacred and secular, and for Calvin University.

The Alumni Choir will achieve these purposes by sponsoring and participating in concerts, providing a ministry of music in church worship services, and by engaging in other performance opportunities.

Will you join the song? The choir is a self-sustaining organization, raising money through individual an business patrons as well as advertising revenue in our concert programs. We would love to have you help continue our mission.

Become a patron of the Calvin Alumni Choir.

Donate to the Calvin Alumni Choir

2023-2024 Season

November 5 (Sunday)- Morning service, Woodlawn C.R.C (Calvin chapel) 9:30 service

November 27 (Monday) 4:45 p.m. Tree lighting ceremony, Calvin University campus

December 8 (Friday) - 7:30 p.m. Christmas Concert , First United Methodist Church 225 Fulton St. East (no tickets required) Livestream at www.grfumc.org/live

December 12 (Tuesday evening)- Christmas caroling 6:30 Breton Woods Extended Care, 7:30 Beacon Hill auditorium

April 6, 2024 (Saturday)- Masterworks Concert ,University Chapel, 3:00 pm

April 14 (Sunday)- Morning service, Hillcrest CRC

May 11 (Saturday)- Spring concert, First (Park) Congregational, 10 E Park Place NE, 7:30 p.m.(no tickets required)

Worship Services

The choir participates in church services several times a year in the West Michigan area. If you would like to have the Calvin Alumni Choir sing in a worship service in your church, please contact: alumnichoir@calvin.edu

Interested in singing with us?

The choir holds annual auditions in to fill our roster (usually in August). If you would like to find out more about our rehearsal schedule, attendance requirements, or would like to schedule an audition, please contact the business manager.

History

The Calvin Alumni Choir was founded in 1977 by Helen Hoekema Van Wyck, now the Director of Choral Activities at Trinity Christian College, and conducted by various choir members. In 1981, Anton Armstrong, current conductor of the St. Olaf Choir, became the choir’s fourth conductor. During Dr. Armstrong’s tenure, the choir performed for the ACDA National Convention in Salt Lake City (1985). Dr. Charles Smith, Director of Choral Activities at Michigan State University (emeritus), was the choir’s fifth conductor. In 1998, Dr. Pearl Shangkuan became the choir’s sixth conductor and led the choir for twenty years. Sean Ivory, the seventh conductor of the choir, picked up the baton in the spring of 2019. He led the choir through their first virtual performance in the spring of 2020, a collaboration with Dan Forrest of “How Great Thou Art.” He also led the ensemble through a year of rehearsals culminating in their first virtual concert in May 2021. The choir was accompanied by Dr. Kenneth Bos from 1980-2022.The current accompanist is Dr. Julia Brown. Guest directors have included eminent composers and conductors such as Sir David Willcocks, Semyon Bychkov, John Rutter, Moses Hogan, André Thomas, Joseph Flummerfelt, and Maria Guinand.

Members of the choir are admitted by audition. Spanning from the most recent graduating class to the 1970s, the singers are all alumni of Calvin University and represent a variety of professions. In addition to its annual concerts, the Calvin Alumni Choir participates in worship services at area churches and other community functions.

The choir has released several commercial recordings and commissioned new works, many of which have become staples in choral repertory sung around the world. The choir has performed with the Grand Rapids Symphony as the featured guest chorus in performances of the B Minor Mass and the Magnificat by Bach at the Grand Rapids Bach Festival. In 2010 the choir received third place in the American Prize competition that recognizes the very best in the performing arts in the United States. The choir also performed at the prestigious Templeton Prize ceremony honoring Calvin graduate and former professor Dr. Alvin Plantinga.

Nationally recognized for its choral artistry, the Calvin Alumni Choir has been invited multiple times to performances at conferences of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) at national, division, and state levels. The choir has also performed for the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM) and the American Guild of Organists (AGO). The choir has toured Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Taiwan, the Netherlands, and most recently as the anchor choir for an international festival in France and Switzerland.

2023-2024 Members

Soprano

Andrea Baas

Debra Paxton Buursma

Cynthia Persenaire DeBoer

Lucie DeMey

Annelise Folkema Hyrns

Jennifer Riemersma Ophoff

Ginny Medema

Rachel Quillian

Jennifer Schroder

Kendra Walters

Naomi Zylstra

Alto

Abby Brinks

Katelyn Mazzola Dare

Barb Eysenbach DeHaan

Katie DeVries

Eva Heetebrij

Jane Jansma Hofstra

Kaia Hurley

Hannah McNulty

Danielle Meyer

Sherry Veenema Merz

Fiona Miller

Tenor

Nick Baas

JR DeGroot

Greg Hofman

Henry Kingma

Stephen Mulder

Aaron Polet

Randy Van Wingerden

John Witte

Bass

Dave Bardolph

Kim DeStigter

Karel DeWaal Malefyt

Chan Gyu Jang

Darin Klooster

Tim Lautenbach

Paul Mulder

Harry Plantinga

Ben VanHof

Patrons

The Calvin Alumni Choir is a non-profit organization existing on the gifts of our supporters and patrons. If you would like to become a contributing patron of the Calvin Alumni Choir and receive advance concert information, please contact alumnichoir@calvin.edu to be added to the mailing list.

With deep gratitude, the Alumni Choir thanks our 2021–2022 patrons for their generous support.

Masterwork
Elaine DeStigter (in memory Of Mel DeStigter)
Phillip and Marie Huizenga
Bruce and June Klanderman
The Mulder Family (in memory of Wilma Mulder)
Jim and Melanie Pentecost
Rodger Rice (in memory of Ruth Rice)

Antiphonal
Gerald and Barbara Bakker
JR and Laura DeGroot
Thomas and Wendy Hofman
Marjorie Hoogeboom
Phil and Jenn Ophoff
Steven and Jennifer Schroder
James and Maria Vanden Bosch

Harmony
Dr. Anton Armstrong (in memory of Darlene Meyering)
Emily Brink
Jerry and Annette Broersma
Kim DeStigter and Patricia Gardner
Kurt and Dorothy Frisch
Janice Heerspink
Greg and Jude Hofman
Jane Hofstra and Norm Browe
BJ and Patricia Huizenga
Jack J. Jansma
Tim and Lindsey Lautenbach
Glenn and Sheryl Merz
Bob Meyering
Cornelius and Kathleen Plantinga

Unison
Dave and Mary Bardolph
Henry and Ruth Baron
Marc and Claudia Beversluis
Chuck and Karen Bos
Fay and Kenneth Bos
Benjamin and Rebecca Bouman-Buursma
Stephen and Rhonda Brink
Debra and Randy Buursma
William and Annette Byl
Cindy De Boer
Kathy De Mey
Janice Doornbos
Roger and Susan Griffioen
William and MaryBeth Haverkamp
Cornelius and Marcia Huizinga
Sean and Leah Ivory
David and Barbara Klanderman
Stanley and Jayne Konynenbelt
Lois Konyndyk
Linda and Tim McCarthy
Gordon and Carole Medema
Jason and Meredith Meyering
Sheryl and Paul Mulder
Stephen and Helen Mulder
A.C. and Karen Ophoff
Carol Peters
Alvin and Kathleen Plantinga
Harry and Pam Plantinga
Bill and Diane Ryckbost
Michael and Lynda Scholma
Jan and Dave Scholten
Howard and Marilyn Slenk
Lee and Marcia Smits
Bob and Joyce Storms
Steve and Barb Timmermans
John and Elsa Van Hekken
Ben Van Hof
Mary Van Hof
Carol Rooda Van Wyk
Melvin and Marilyn Veenema
Ruth Vis
Alrene Warners
John and Charlotte Witvliet
Nicholas and Claire Wolterstorff
Steve and Judy Zwart

Other Gifts
Anonymous (in memory of Darlene Meyering)
James Anderson
Ken and Laurel Bratt
Dwight and Cindy Burch
Duane Early
Lynn Mc Broom
Donald and Evonne Plantinga
Aaron and Rebecca Polet
Randy and Vicki Van Wingerden
Ken and Kristen Verhulst
Nancy Westra
Liam and Amy Worden
Abby Zwart

Recordings

Many of our concerts are posted on our YouTube channel. Some of the recordings are full concerts, while others are individual songs. Check us out!

Please call the Calvin Campus Store at 1-800-748-0122 for available recordings.