<1 Oyp Penn State Harrisburg to host multiple campus choir concert By VINCENT DANGOLOVICH Staff Writer VWDSOO6@PSU.EDU A recent interview with Prof. O. David Deitz of Penn State Harrisburg confirmed plans to host a concert of Penn State choirsfrom several campuses. The event, entitled “Raise the Song” is set for Wednesday, Oct. 28 at the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts. The show begins at 7:30 PM in the Sunoco Performance Theater. Admission is free. Penn State choirs from Harrisburg, Altoona, Berks, Erie, Schuylkill and University Park will share die stage, singing 10-15 minutes each before performing Mendelssohn’s “Verleih uns Frieden” as a whole. Penn State Laureate Anthony Leach will serve as Master of Ceremonies and conductor for the full ensemble piece. Conductors for the confirmed choirs include: Prof. O. David Deitz, Penn State Harrisburg; Dr. Bonnie Cutsforth- Huber, Ass. Prof, of Music Penn State Altoona; Instructor David McConnell Penn State Berks; Dr. Jason Bishop, Director of Choral Ensembles Penn State Erie; Chritsopher Evans, instructor of music Penn State Shuylkill; and Dr. Lynn Drafall Director Choral Activities of University Park. This will be the first event of its kind in the history of die university and it commonwealth campuses. It is all part of Cause and Effect Club makes a difference By JENNA DENOYELLES Ediotr in Chief JHDSO3S@PSU.EDU Cause and Effect tries to make an effect by promoting social awareness through community activism. It began with Sara Marie Williams and Christopher Leidy last fall. The two Penn State Harrisburg students have been friends for two years and share common interests in social awareness and a passion for community activism. While hanging out at Williams’ house they were talking about social issues and about how to be involved more on campus when Williams asked Leidy if he wanted to start a social awareness group. Leidy agreed to form Cause and Effect but wanted a big aspect of it to be community service as well. They agreed to fuse both ideas of community service and social awareness together. “I think that’s one of my main goals while I’m here is to see more students get involved in community service and community activism,” said Leidy. Since the formation of the club last fall, Cause and Effect has taken off. There are 55 students enrolled in the email; list and in only one year of being active participants doubled, according to Leidy. Cause and Effect looks to promote social awar» and provide a place for other students and faculty are also interested in similar socially conscious activi Seeing growth in the club and making an impact is important. “To see us impact the community in some ways that be noticed or felt and get not just get Sara and m; recognized, but also the school recognized,” said Lei* The members of the club have been busy in the last months. Right now, Cause and Effect is still workin) their food drive, which benefits the Interfaith Food. in Middletown. Food drive collection boxes are loci in the Olmstead Lobby, Stacks Cafeteria, the Community Center, Faculty Offices, as well as the CUB. The donation* 0 ™ le * to nght: President Sara Mane Williams and - . aji /-* * -in vice President Christopher Leidy. boxes will remain up until Oct 29. r an effort to promote the performing arts offered by Penn State programs. “I’ve invited people here because I want people to see the campus and know that you can do artistic things here,” says Prof Deitz. “You can sing, you can be in a musical, you can do those kinds of things here. I don’t think a lot of people know that.” The concert is also an opportunity to excite local high schools and middle schools about a potentially getting a Penn State education. A workshop will be held 10:00a.m. to noon, Wednesday morning at the Capital Union Building of Penn State Harrisburg. Student groups and teachers from Hershey, Central Dauphin East, Lower Dauphin, Cedar Cliff and Palmyra will have an opportunity to learn from Dr. Lynn Drafall. The adjudication sessions are open to public viewing while the invited schools work with the University Park choral director. Prof. Deitz shares a distinction with the good Dr. Drafall: as conference chair and President respectively, both are members of the Eastern Division of the American Choral Directors Association. As such, both have had experience organizing large choral events in the past. In February, both conductors will aid in overseeing a Philadelphia conference with approximately 1,200 choir directors and some SO performing choirs. Still this does not diminish the unique events set for Oct. 28. With his highly involved Cause and Effect is also planning the “Peanut Butter and Jelly Project,” where on Thursdays during the common hour this fall, students and faculty can make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on Stacks stage, which go to feeding the hungry. The club intends on providing all the supplies and materials needed for the event. The sandwiches will be donated to the Central Pa. Foodbank, and the Interfaith Foodbank of Middletown. In September members of the Kappa Alpha Psi combined efforts with members of Cause and Effect to clean up trash on their adopted highway along the front of the school. In the summer the club ran a pre-orientation community outreach program, which ran from Aug. 20-21. The school-funded program, Fresh S.T.A.R.T. (students taking active rolls today) had about 20 freshmen and transfer students who participated. While the program has been around at University Park for a few years, University Park and PSH worked together to form this program over the summer. Students at PSH involved in die program were able to move in early and took part in service learning seminars as well as partook in community service in Inner THE CAPITAL TIMES October 21, 2009 group of 27 choral students, Deitz is primed to host his colleagues and their individual choirs. “They’re a lot of fun,” says Deitz, “I really like these folks.” This semester’s choir has grown from 18 to 27 members of motivated young people. Deitz even claims that they have voluntarily added extra rehearsals If the visiting students of the other campuses inspire half as much enthusiasm in their conductors as our own students do theirs, the free concert at the end of the month should be nothing short of extraordinary. If you have any interest in joining the Capital Campus Choir, be sure to contact Prof. Deitz using the Penn State email directory. It is available as both a credit and non credit activity for performing students of all experience and backgrounds. Those who wish to attend more PSH student performances should keep their eyes pealed for the production of Little Shop of Horrors in late November and the Faiths of our Fathers holiday concert in December. If you’re planning to attend: Penn State Campus Choir Concert 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct 28 2009 Sunoco Performance Theater Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts Free Admission. City Harrisburg, and then had a reflection period, which allowed the students to focus on what they gained from their community service. For more information contact the President of Cause and Effect, Sara Marie Williams at smwso9B@psu.edu or Vice President Christopher Leidy at cjl2l4@psu.edu. Meetings are on ThursT at 12:30 p.m. in the IP