GREENVILLE, PA –Greenville will ring with the sound of music this month as Thiel College hosts the 2008 Pennsylvania Collegiate Choral Association (PCCA) Festival from Thursday, Jan. 24 through Friday, Jan. 26.

A collaboration between PCAA member institutions, this festival has been offered annually for more than 50 years. The special three-day event will feature students from across the state singing as part of the Festival Honor Chorus, which is under the guidance of a nationally recognized conductor and teacher each year. This year’s special guest conductor is Christopher M. Cock, director of choral and vocal activities at Valparaiso University in Indiana. Cock is also a well known soloist whose tenor has been heard with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the American Sinfonietta and many others. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Arizona.

“This is a unique opportunity for Thiel College and its student musicians to not only study under an incredible artist like Christopher Cock but to also interact and learn with student musicians from other colleges and universities,” says Dr. Michael Bray, director of choral activities and festival host. “This festival also will give the local community a chance to hear these amazing students perform in person. The quality of the Festival Honor Chorus’s performance will be astounding.”

Students from Immaculata University, Slippery Rock University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Waynesburg University, Seton Hill University, Clarion University, East Stroudsburg State University, York College of Pennsylvania, Edinboro University and Thiel will participate. The participating Thiel students include senior Maggie Babinka (Soprano I) of Greenville, sophomore Danielle Hillwig (Soprano I) of Chicora, senior Jennifer Wilfong (Soprano II) of Beaver Falls, junior Jaime Kirchhofer (Alto I) of Hadley, freshman Victoria Boyer (Alto II) of Coplay, junior Rosemary Prosser (Alto II) of North Braddock, senior Allyson Waldon (Alto II) of Baltimore, Md., senior Stephen Catlin (Tenor I) of Mason, Ohio, senior Zachary Bryte (Tenor II) of Pittsburgh, senior Alex Martini (Bass I) of Exton, and senior David Bowman (Bass II) of Ashburn, Va.

The festival culminates with a concert at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26 in the David Johnson Memorial Chapel on Thiel’s campus. The concert program will feature a mixture of classical pieces and folk music. It is free and open to the public.

For more information about the choral festival, contact Bray at 724-589-2149.

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