Four Hope College musical ensemble have scheduled spring tours.

The Chapel Choir, Symphonette, Wind Ensemble and Jazz Arts Collective will conduct multi-day tours beginning Thursday, March 18.

The Chapel Choir will travel southeast with performances between Thursday, March 18, and Tuesday, March 23.  The choir will perform at New Hope Church in Powell, Ohio, on Thursday, March 18, at 7:30 p.m.; at Starmount Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, N.C., on Friday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m.; at St. Andrews-Covenant Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, N.C., on Saturday, March 20, at 7:30 p.m.; at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, March 21, at 3:30 p.m. and during the 4 p.m. Evensong Service; at the Church of the Pilgrims in Washington, D.C., on Monday, March 22, at 7:30 p.m.; and at St. Paul's Cathedral in Buffalo, N.Y., on Tuesday, March 23, at 7:30 p.m.

In addition, the Chapel Choir will present its annual post-tour Home Concert in Holland on Wednesday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church, located at 195 W. 13th St., on the corner of 13th Street and Maple Avenue.

The Symphonette will travel to the Detroit area and Ohio from Thursday, March 18, through Sunday, March 21.  The Symphonette will perform at St. John's Episcopal Church in Detroit on Thursday, March 18, at 7 p.m.; at Centerville Community Church in Dayton, Ohio, on Friday, March 19, at 7 p.m.; and at Grace United Methodist Church in Zanesville, Ohio, on Sunday, March 21, at 3 p.m.

The Wind Ensemble and Jazz Arts Collective will perform in a variety of communities in Michigan between Thursday, March 18, and Monday, March 22.  They will perform at Carman-Ainsworth High School in Flint on Thursday, March 18, at 1 p.m.; at Mott Community College in Flint on Thursday, March 18, at 4:30 p.m.; at Romeo High School in Bruce Township on Friday, March 19, at 8:30 a.m.; at Resurrection Reformed Church in Flint on Friday, March 19, at 7 p.m.; at St. Cecilia Music Center's Royce Auditorium in Grand Rapids, in a joint concert with Grand Rapids Community College, on Sunday, March 21, at 7 p.m.; at Dewitt High School in Dewitt on Monday, March 22, at 11:15 a.m.; and at Paragon Charter School in Jackson on Monday, March 22, at 2 p.m.

The Chapel Choir is Hope College's premier choral ensemble.  Comprised of auditioned singers, the Chapel Choir has toured extensively throughout the United States and Canada, and has traveled abroad on eight occasions, most recently to South Africa in May 2009.  The choir is featured along with other music ensembles in Christmas Vespers, a tradition that stretches back to 1941.  Award-winning broadcasts of Christmas Vespers by WGVU of Grand Rapids are shown on PBS stations around the country at Christmastime.  The choir is directed by Brad Richmond, professor of music and director of choral activities.

The Symphonette is selected each year from the larger college symphony orchestra, and maintains an active performance schedule that includes the college's annual Christmas Vespers services. The group has toured coast-to-coast in the United States, and has also performed in two provinces in Canada, the British Isles, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.  The Symphonette was honored by being chosen as one of only four orchestras from around the country invited to perform during the 2007 National Conference of the American String Teachers Association. The Symphonette is under the director of Richard Piippo, associate professor of music.

The Hope College Wind Ensemble is the premiere wind group on the Hope Campus.  It is open to all students regardless on their major and typically performs six to 10 times a year.  The Wind Ensemble is currently engaged in a three-year CD project, which will include the newly commissioned work by faculty member Steven Talaga titled "Points, Colors, and Lines."  The Wind Ensemble is directed by Gabe Southard, assistant professor of music.

The Jazz Arts Collective is the premiere large jazz ensemble at Hope.  The collective places a creative focus on ensemble communication and improvisation. Comprised of a rhythm section and approximately seven horns, this select group performs compositions and arrangements from across the full spectrum of music.  The collective's repertoire ranges from the great historical jazz composers such as Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus, to works by modern jazz masters like Vince Mendoza, Jim McNeely and John Hollenbeck.  Similarly, the group frequently performs commissions, works by emerging young composers, and originals by Hope College faculty and students. The ensemble also collectively reinterprets and re-imagines the music from the 20th century classical repertoire.  The Jazz Arts Collective is directed by Brian Coyle, professor of music and chairperson of the department.