Eric Benjamin, of Alliance, has been hired to direct the new University Choir at Kent State University at Tuscarawas beginning Fall Semester 2016. He is an adjunct faculty member at the campus currently teaching The Understanding of Music. He also is the music director for the Tuscarawas Philharmonic, a position he has held for the past 25 years. The Tuscarawas Philharmonic, a full symphony orchestra, is a resident company at the Kent State Tuscarawas Performing Arts Center.
In building a new choir, Benjamin has created a goal-oriented syllabus.
“The University Choir will offer students at Kent State Tuscarawas the opportunity to sing a varied repertoire of music with emphasis on the choral traditional that has existed over 500 years,” Benjamin says. “We will rehearse the music and learn in an atmosphere that emphasizes a high artistic standard.”
As part of the course objectives, each semester, the choir, a 1-credit-hour course, will perform a culminating event. At the end of fall semester, the university choir will perform with the Tuscarawas Philharmonic for their annual performance of Handel’s Messiah. The spring semester performance will be announced during the academic year.
“I am impressed by the seriousness of the students and faculty at Kent State Tuscarawas,” Benjamin adds. “I like that the chorus is not just on campus. Some activities will have to be off campus and part of the community.”
“We are honored to have Eric Benjamin, who joined our adjunct faculty in January 2016, direct our new University Choir,” says Bradley A. Bielski, Ph.D., dean and chief administrative officer of Kent State Tuscarawas. “He is a highly regarded musician and conductor whose extensive experience and enthusiasm will help build our choir.”
A graduate of New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, Benjamin earned a Master of Music in orchestral conducting and a Bachelor of Music in education.
University Chorus is scheduled for Tuesdays from 3:45-5 p.m. University Band, also a 1-credit-hour course, will be held on Tuesdays from 7-9 p.m. Students and prospective students can learn more about the choir and band by contacting the campus at 330-339-3391.
Kent State Tuscarawas is located at 330 University Dr. N.E. in New Philadelphia.
