MONMOUTH, ILLINOIS (October 20, 2026) — The month of October will close with a trio of concerts in the Kasch Performance Hall of Monmouth College's Dahl Chapel and Auditorium.
Bookended by the college's fall vocal and instrumental concerts on October 23 and October 30, respectively, will be the year's second event of the Maple Leaf Community Concert Series on October 27.
Choral concert on October 23
Under the direction of music professor Tim Pahel, the college's Chorale and Chamber Choir will perform a six-movement work by Caroline Shaw called "To the Hands," written for choir and string quintet. Free and open to the public, the Oct. 23 concert will begin at 7:30PM.
"Caroline Shaw is an exciting American composer who has won two Grammies and the Pulitzer Prize for Music," said Pahel.
"'To the Hands' is a moving and fascinating work, exploring human suffering, compassion, and our responsibility to one another."
Its texts move from questions about wounds and suffering to a reimagining of Emma Lazarus's poem "The New Colossus," associated with the Statue of Liberty, and a reflection on the worldwide refugee crisis.
"The work ultimately turns toward a message of comfort and human connection, offering a reminder that the hands capable of causing harm are also capable of offering refuge, healing and love," said Pahel.
Chorale will also perform a work by Italian Baroque composer Giovanni Martini titled "Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina," featuring a string quartet and four student vocal soloists as well as the choir. Chamber Choir will sing a light, fast, and entertaining work called "Bumblebee" by Anders Edenroth.
The concert will close with two arrangements by Michael Barrett, an internationally renowned South African choral conductor and composer who recently visited Monmouth College to do a workshop with the Chorale on singing, moving, and percussion in South African music.
MLCCS on October 27: "It Takes Two: A Legendary Duo Revue"
The next MLCCS performance features "It Takes Two: A Legendary Duo Revue," taking place at 7PM, October 27.
The show is a fast-paced musical journey created by globally-renowned entertainers Erinn Dearth and Dan Beckmann, who are the creators of the touring show Letters from Home. The dynamic performance features vocal arrangements, dance, and custom backing tracks to honor history's most iconic pairings, some of which are Johnny Cash and June Carter, Sonny and Cher, and Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.
Tickets will be available at the door the night of the concert. Memberships, which include all four concerts of the season, are $70. Single concert tickets are also available for $30 each. Students are free.
Wind Ensemble on October 30
"Right before Halloween will be a busy time as we host our annual Monmouth College Honor Band on October 29, including a preview from the Wind Ensemble during the event," said music professor Justin Swearinger, who directs the group.
"Our October 30 concert will feature music that celebrates community, love, and identity. We'll sprinkle in a few folk songs as well as celebrate the 100th year anniversary since John Philip Sousa was here in Monmouth in October of 1926."
Free and open to the public, the concert will begin at 7:30PM.
It will begin with Satoshi Yagisawa's warm and energetic "Fanfare — The Benefaction from Sky and Mother Earth," written to commemorate the Oyama City Symphonic Wind Orchestra's thirtieth season.
Following, the Wind Ensemble will play a set of two movements from the Sousa suite "People Who Live in Glass Houses."
"We then shift to David Biedenbender's 'Unquiet Hours,' which explores the times when we find ourselves alone with thoughts of sadness, doubt, grief, anxiety, loneliness, and frustration," said Swearinger.
"The piece begins softly as the thoughts slowly build into an unnerving and unavoidable wall of sound. As we come out the other side, the mood returns to quiet reflection and asks of the listener, 'How do we find peace amidst all of the noise?'"
Alumnus and Fighting Scots Marching Band director Eli Kelly will take the stage next, leading the ensemble through Vaughan Williams's famous "Folk Song Suite." That will lead into a set of two pieces to conclude the concert — "Tapestries" by Haley Woodrow and "Un Solo Pueblo" by Ruben Dario Gomez.
"Both focus on bringing unique individuals and sounds together to create a unified whole and end with waves of energy sure to inspire toe tapping," said Swearinger.
