The school year is coming to a close and many Gusties are preparing concluding projects and performances, including the Choir of Christ Chapel. The Choir will be performing its 2015 Home Concert after going on a short tour in Minnesota. The concert will be held in the Christ Chapel on campus on Tuesday, May 12 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public.
The Chapel Choir is lead by Conductor and Associate Professor in Music, Brandon Dean. Dr. Dean, as he is known by students, is also the conductor of the Lucia Singers. He is the founder and artistic director of the Gustavus Women’s Chorus Invitational and Director of the Gustavus Show Choir Camp. Dean received the 2014 Swenson-Bunn Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence. This is his fourth year instructing at Gustavus.
“I absolutely love working with the Choir students,” Dean said. “The best part of my day is getting to make music with them. The best part of working with the Choir is the energy, enthusiasm, and joy that the students bring to their music making on a daily basis.”

“This concert really does embody a journey.”—Andy Lupinek

Sophomore Theatre Major Andy Lupinek has been a member of the Choir of Christ Chapel since spring 2014. Lupinek sings Baritone and is also the vice president of the Choir.
“This concert really does embody a journey,” Lupinek said. “I love all of the different personalities that everyone brings to the table. Dr. Dean brings out a side of you that makes you want to put yourself out there. He loves what he does and that makes coming to Choir every day not a strain on me but something that I look forward to.”
This year, Chapel Choir is made up of about 100 students. All the music in this year’s concert is tied together with a common theme “The Heart is a Compass.” The music tells a story about life’s journeys, whether they are spiritual or personal.
“Music is a way that I can speak through my soul,” Lupinek said. “It’s something like nothing else.”
Sophomore Theatre Major Sylvia Michels has been a member of the Choir since fall 2013. She sings Soprano 1 and is the president of the Choir. She also sings with her church at home when she is not on campus. Her parents got her involved with singing at church at a young age and she has enjoyed it ever since.
“The Choir has a very inviting atmosphere,” Michels said. “The music is very energetic and Dr. Dean is a very passionate leader.”
The concert will feature a wide variety of music styles from gospel to musical theatre. There will also be poetry and spoken word pieces. The concert will be bringing in elements of this year’s Christmas in Christ Chapel performance and also new music that audiences at Gustavus have not heard before from the Choir.
“It doesn’t feel like a predictable concert,” Michels said. “It’s very fluid and memorable.”

-Kim Krulish