Colleges across the country are recognizing students from Morton High School for their on-campus success. Click any achievement to discover alumni from Morton High School, view their personalized Merit pages, and learn about what they are accomplishing.
(see more)Colleges across the country are recognizing students from Morton High School for their on-campus success. Click any achievement to discover alumni from Morton High School, view their personalized Merit pages, and learn about what they are accomplishing.
Local Students Named to Sigma Kappa Delta at ICC
Area students were recently inducted into Sigma Kappa Delta, the English Honor Society, at Illinois Central College in East Peoria. Local students named to this honor include:
Honor Society -
2011 Dec 14
Area students perform in Augustana College's Messiah
The Handel Oratorio Society will celebrate its 131st-anniversary performance of Handel's Messiah on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 11, at 2 p.m. in Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave, Rock Island, Ill.). This special holiday tradition will feature four internationally acclaimed soloists, including the return of renowned soprano Mary Wilson, performing with a professional chamber orchestra and 250 singers from Augustana College and the surrounding community.
From your area this includes:
Drama, Artistic, or Musical Achievement -
2011 Dec 6
Local students perform in Augustana College's Messiah
The Handel Oratorio Society will celebrate its 131st-anniversary performance of Handel's Messiah on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 11, at 2 p.m. in Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave, Rock Island, Ill.). This special holiday tradition will feature four internationally acclaimed soloists, including the return of renowned soprano Mary Wilson, performing with a professional chamber orchestra and 250 singers from Augustana College and the surrounding community.
From your area this includes:
Drama, Artistic, or Musical Achievement -
2011 Dec 1
Local students participate in Christmas at Augustana
Augustana presents its fourth annual Christmas at Augustana holiday concertaEUR"which has nearly sold out in previous yearsaEUR"on Friday, Dec. 2, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 3, at 4 p.m. in Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave.). More than 300 students in the college's choirs, brass ensemble and orchestra will join together to share music with audience members in what promises to be a warm and memorable holiday experience for all.
From your area this includes:
Drama, Artistic, or Musical Achievement -
2011 Nov 29
Local Students Inducted Into ICC Honor Society
Area students were recently inducted in the Upsilon Mu Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa at Illinois Central College. Those honored include:
Honor Society -
2011 Oct 28
Area Schools Participate in Augustana Choral Ensembles
Augustana College choral ensembles' work with local and regional high school choirs culminate in two separate concerts this week. Both concerts are free and open to the public.
From your area this includes:
Drama, Artistic, or Musical Achievement -
2011 Oct 25
Area Students Selected to Honors Program at Illinois Central College
The following area students were selected to participate in the Honors Program at Illinois Central College, East Peoria, for the 2011-12 academic year:
Achievement (Other) -
2011 Sep 20
Local Students Graduate from Illinois Central College
Illinois Central College, East Peoria, congratulates 854 graduates for completing their respective program requirements during the Spring 2011 semester. Graduation ceremonies were held May 14 in the ICC CougarPlex on the East Peoria campus.
Local students and the degree/certificate they received include:
Graduation -
2011 Jul 20
Local Students Earn Academic Honors at Illinois Central College
Illinois Central College, East Peoria, released the names of students who earned academic honors during the Spring 2011 semester. The following local students received the honor:
Achievement (Other) -
2011 Jul 12
Local residents named to dean's list at Olivet
Olivet Nazarene University announces the spring 2011 dean's list, which includes local residents:
Honors List -
2011 Jun 27
Area Residents Named to Samford's Dean's List
Some area residents have been named to the Dean's List for the spring semester at Samford University. They are:
Honors List -
2011 Jun 16
Area Residents Named to Samford's Dean's List
Some area residents have been named to the Dean's List for the fall semester at Samford University. They are:
Honors List -
2011 Jan 25
aEUR~Christmas at Augustana' a favorite holiday tradition
Augustana presents its third annual "Christmas at Augustana" holiday concertaEUR"which has sold out in previous yearsaEUR"on Friday, Dec. 3, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 4, at 4 p.m. in Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave.). More than 300 students in the college's choirs, brass ensemble and orchestra will share their musical talents in what promises to be a memorable concert, especially for the Augustana seniors on stage.
From your area this includes:
Drama, Artistic, or Musical Achievement -
2010 Nov 17
Augustana launches gospel choir; nationally recognized gospel musician to direct
Celebration, the Augustana gospel choir, will present its inaugural concert on Sunday, October 24, at 4 p.m. in Wallenberg Hall inside Denkmann Memorial Building (3520 7th Ave.). The director is Dr. Keith Hampton, a nationally recognized gospel musician and composer. The concert is free and open to the public.
The concert is the first for the newly created choir and will present gospel and traditional spiritual works by Hampton, Ysaye M. Barnwell (of Sweet Honey and the Rock), Kurt Carr, Israel Hougton, V. Michael McKay, Verolga Nix and Rosephanye Powell.
"The concert will be the most fun you have ever had at a choir concert," said Larry Peterson, campus ministries director of music and organ instructor. "Even if gospel music is not your music of choice, there is no way you will leave the concert unaffected by what you have just experienced."
Choir members from your area include:
Drama, Artistic, or Musical Achievement -
2010 Oct 22
Families build new Christmas tradition with Handel's Messiah
The Handel Oratorio Society will share a special Christmas tradition with families throughout the Quad-City community with its performances of Handel's Messiah on Saturday, December 12, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, December 13, at 2 p.m. The performances will be held in Augustana's Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave.). Community members young and old are invited to build this longtime Quad Cities' tradition into their own holiday celebrations.
This Christmas season marks the 129th consecutive year the Handel Oratorio Society will perform Messiah for the Quad-City community. However, Dr. Jon Hurty, director of the performance for the past 13 years, says the music is just as vibrant and meaningful today as when the Oratorio Society performed it for the first time in 1881. "It is an enduring story because it follows the prophecy, birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Handel's music is filled with glorious arias, choruses and instrumental sections that have become familiar and beloved by listeners."
One of the most distinctive aspects of the Handel Oratorio Society is the variety of performers it brings together. This year the choir features 62 Augustana Choir singers and approximately 200 others from the Quad-City community. They will be joined onstage by the 37-member Handel Oratorio Society Chamber Orchestra and four professional soloists. The result, Hurty says, is a show that is impressive not only to hear, but also to see.
"The visual appeal of 300 people on stage and the way in which they reflect the music is an important part of the performance experience," Hurty says. "You can listen to Messiah as a recording or even watch a DVD, but there is nothing quite like seeing your friends, colleagues, students and neighbors perform the piece."
This year's performance is especially noteworthy because two of the soloists, tenor Brent Wilson and baritone Mark Walters, live in the Quad Cities. They will be joined by soprano Sarah Hibbard and mezzo soprano Jessye Wright.
Wilson, a '01 Augustana alumnus and current Augustana professor, has sung Messiah in numerous venues around the nation. However, he says performing Messiah with the Handel Oratorio Society will be especially meaningful for him. "I was a four-year Messiah participant when I was at Augie. I feel very honored to come back and be able to participate in this event. I know how much it means to the community."
Like Hurty, Wilson also values Messiah for its timelessness. "Messiah is a piece that gets born again every time you hear it," Wilson says. "Every time I'm sitting up front listening to another soloist, the choir or the orchestra, I hear something I've never heard before. That's what keeps the piece alive for me."
From your area, this year's performers include:
Drama, Artistic, or Musical Achievement -
2009 Dec 3
Local students perform in expanded Christmas at Augustana
Christmas at Augustana, a holiday concert featuring choir, band and orchestra ensembles, will return to Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave.) in early December with an expanded schedule. Augustana student musicians and vocalists will perform on Friday, December 4, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, December 5, at 4 p.m. The music department added another concert this year after the ensembles played to a sold-out crowd at last year's inaugural concert.
The concerts are truly an "advent of the Advent season," says Dr. Daniel Culver, orchestra director and department co-chair. "I look forward to working again with all of my colleagues in an ensemble effort. It is a marvelous opportunity for our students and audience alike. In the development of the program, we focused on bringing a sense of unity to the program and how it works with each ensemble."
Audience members will experience a true celebration of Christmas with performances by seven ensembles, including the Symphony Orchestra, Brass Ensemble, Augustana Choir, Jenny Lind Vocal Ensemble, Ascension Singers, Wennerberg Men's Chorus and Cantilena Augustana, and the world premiere of "Veni Emmanuel (Come Emmanuel)" arranged by Augustana music faculty member Dr. David Davies.
Dr. Jon Hurty, director of choral activities and department co-chair, says the opportunity to commission a new work is an added learning experience. "This adds an entirely new creative element to the program and exposes the students to great music that was written specifically for the occasion," says Hurty.
"Bring your best singing voice," reminds Culver. The concerts also feature several well-known congregational hymns for a sing-along during the program.
From your area, this year's performers include:
Drama, Artistic, or Musical Achievement -
2009 Nov 25
Opera@Augustana brings Christmas magic alive
Augustana's opera singers will delight audiences with their heartwarming performance of "Little Thieves of Bethlehem" from Friday, November 20, through Sunday, November 22, at 8 p.m. in Wallenberg Hall at Denkmann Memorial Building (3520 7th Ave.). The opera is set in Bethlehem after Jesus' birth and follows three outcast children who find new hope in the Christmas story.
Augustana students will be only the second group to perform "Little Thieves of Bethlehem," which was first performed in Rochester, N.Y., in the 1990s. The story focuses on an orphaned brother and sister in Bethlehem who must steal food to keep from starving. They are shunned by children and adults in their community, but they are the first to hear Mary sing to her new baby. The three kings who come to see Jesus also bring along a child servant who is an outcast, but is embraced in the Christmas story. The opera runs approximately 55 minutes.
Kelly Mitroff, a vocal music major who will play the innkeeper's wife, says the performance is fun and family-friendly. "This opera has a song about a camel, which seems to come out of nowhere. It gives everyone a break from the drama of what's going on, and let's face it, you just can't go wrong with a song about a spitting camel," says Mitroff.
Melissa Goode, a senior music major from Davenport, will play the lead role of Mary. Goode has performed with Opera@Augustana in the past, but finds this production to be particularly special because it is only the second time the show has been performed. "It is a twist on the traditional story of Christ's birth, so that will make it new and exciting for audiences," she says.
"The magic of Christmas comes alive to all on stage and in the audience," says Dr. John Pfautz, professor of voice and the opera's director and producer. Pfautz founded Opera@Augustana shortly after coming to Augustana in 1987. He earned his Doctorate of Musical Arts from West Virginia University where he studied under Frances Yeend and has performed as the featured tenor soloist in operas throughout the United States and Canada.
Pfautz is excited that "Little Thieves of Bethlehem" includes some of the faculty and staff's children, in addition to Augustana students. Aislinn Geedy, daughter of biology professors Dr. Dara Wegman-Geedy and Dr. Kevin Geedy; Mackenzie Parboosingh, daughter of theater professor Adam Parboosingh; and Robert Ducey, son of Beth Ducey from art history, will appear onstage as local children.
Drama, Artistic, or Musical Achievement -
2009 Nov 5