USU Alumni Return to Campus for Special Performance
Alumni members from the Utah State University Chorale, a vocal group based in the Department of Music, are coming back to campus to perform with the Alumni Band in “University Chorale Reunion: the Bill Ramsey Years.” The concert, a part of the band’s usual Sunday series, is Sunday, July 29, at 7 p.m. The concert moved indoor to the Kent Concert Hall, located in the Chase Fine Arts Center on the Logan campus.
“Bill Ramsey has been a mentor and one of my closest friends to this day,” said Craig Jessop, dean of the Caine College of the Arts. “This concert is a way to honor his influence in my life and in the lives of the hundreds of students who sang in the USU Chorale under his instruction.”
Former music professor William Ramsey will conduct members of the Chorale who sung with the group from the mid-’60s and ’70s. The music of Carl Orff, Randall Thompson and Jester Hairston will be performed.
Jessop first met Ramsey while competing in the Utah State Fair Music Competition. Ramsey was one of the judges and began giving Jessop voice lessons. Later, Ramsey helped Jessop get a scholarship to attend USU, where he sang under Ramsey’s tutelage. As Jessop’s career progressed from baritone with the Robert Shaw Festival Singers to conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Jessop sought Ramsey’s advice many times. Currently retired and living in Michigan, Ramsey is returning to northern Utah for this special performance.
“The Alumni Band is pleased to combine forces with alumni of USU’s choral program for this special evening,” said Nicholas Morrison, senior associate dean of the CCA. “The opportunity to see professors Craig Jessop and William Ramsey on stage together with scores of alumni from the last 50 years makes this an event not to be missed.”
For more information, call 435-797-2055 or see the USU website (www.usu.edu) and search “The Bill Ramsey Years.”