Hope College Department of Music

09/28/2026

Dr. Sukumaran and his research group have been invited to present their research at the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) 2026 Biennial Music Research and Teacher Education Conference in Long Beach, California. This is considered the flagship research conference for the music education field in the United States.

The title of the session is: “New Identities in New Spaces: Music Teacher Educators’ Sense of Belonging.” The work is centered on how music teacher educators navigate identity, belonging, and practice as they move between various professional spaces.

Research Team Members:
David Dockan (Louisiana State University),
Jason Gossett (West Virginia University),
Jenny Hutton (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee),
Anand Sukumaran (Hope College),
and Mike Vecchio (University of Illinois)

09/05/2026

🌲 Thank you for joining us at the Pine Grove Involvement Fair today! We also welcome the newly established Hope College NAfME chapter!

If you are interested in joining our ensembles or chapters, please reach out to one of our student representatives:

Choirs:
Hope College Choral Ensembles
SATB -
Chapel Choir President: Helen Drost
Chapel Choir Vice President: Kyle Spiegel

SSAA -
SPERA President: Meghan Ferrara
SPERA Vice President: Tana Haveman

TTBB -
VERITAS President: Henry Dee

Instrumental Ensembles:

Concert Band -
Rep: Savannah Keck, Ethan Kashmier

Jazz -
President: Micah Jones
Vice President: Joel Nelson

Symphony Orchestra -
President: Olivia Wiley
Vice President: Ella Pusztai
Hope College Orchestra

National Association for Music Education:
President: Alex Roberts
Vice President: Annabelle DeVries
Hope College NAfME

09/01/2026

🇺🇸🏅It is our great honor to share that Hope College is

the National WINNER

of The American Prize - Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award in Orchestral Programming (college/university division), 2026!

Hope College students and professors are also in the running for the following awards as national finalists:

Dr. Eric D. Reyes
🏅National Finalist: The American Prize in Conducting-college/university chorus, 2026-The Dale Warland Award

Professor Samuel Pang
🏅National Finalist: The American Prize in Conducting-college/university orchestra division, 2026

Hope College Chapel Choir
🏅National Finalist: The American Prize in Choral Performance-college/university division (smaller program), 2026

Hope College Orchestra
🏅National Finalist: The American Prize in Orchestral Performance (college/university-smaller program),
2026

Stay tuned. And Go Hope!
Spera in Deo.

07/25/2026

Congratulations, Prof. Mary Beth Orr!

This was some nice news yesterday. I am so niche that I felt this was the only category that really fit. It feels incredibly emotional and sacred to share this music, because I believe it deserves and requires respect, authenticity, and sensitivity to do it justice. It's where I've been, and where I'm going. Celebrating the traditional with new American music is story telling at its best and love showcasing my 15 mins of Fame family! Robert Voisey
Also happy to see some other friends on this list. I love to celebrate you too!
Steven Cohen Johanna Yarbrough Nan Avant

07/25/2026

Dr. Anand Sukumaran will be presenting at the International Society for Music Education Conference in Montréal this week! His session is on Monday at the Palais des congrès de Montréal (Montreal convention center) and he will be sharing some insights from his research on multimusicality. Congratulations!

07/22/2026

The Steinway Spirio grand piano in the Hope College Department of Music offers a rare educational experience that enables faculty and students to study and emulate the precise performances of legendary pianists note-for-note.

🔗 Read how Dr. David Keep and undergraduate researchers are using this technology to advance classical music research and pedagogy at the link in the comments.

07/14/2026

🏆🇺🇸 Five National Finalist recognitions for Hope College musicians!

We are thrilled to celebrate that two Hope College ensembles and two professors have been named National Finalists for The American Prize: 2026.

🎼 Hope College Chapel Choir
• Choral Performance (College/University Division – Smaller Program)

🎻 Hope College Orchestra
• Orchestral Performance (College/University Division – Smaller Program)
• Orchestral Programming – Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award

🎶 Prof. Samuel Pang
• Conducting (College/University Orchestra Division)

🎵 Dr. Eric D. Reyes
• Conducting (College/University Chorus) – The Dale Warland Award

These recognitions reflect the dedication, artistry, and collaborative spirit of our students and faculty. Congratulations to all of our musicians and conductors on this outstanding national achievement!







Hope College Arts and Humanities Division
Hope College Great Performance Series

05/05/2026

Hope will be well represented this Friday at West Michigan Symphony's concert! Our very own Prof. Igor Cetkovic, cello, and alum Peter Kurdziel, organ, will be a featured soloists this coming Friday!

Inventive. Joyful. Radiant.
WMS Principal Cellist Igor Cetkovic takes center stage in Gulda’s wildly inventive Cello Concerto—playful, unexpected, and full of personality. Then experience the thrilling power of the Barton Organ, at the hands of organist Peter Kurdziel, in Saint-Saëns’ monumental “Organ Symphony,”—a work of breathtaking scale and sound.
Big music. Bold moments. An unforgettable finale.
📍 Friday, May 8 | The Frauenthal Center
🎟 Tickets start at just $19

04/17/2026

Congratulations, Dr. Ben Krause!

Dr. Benjamin Krause, associate professor of music, has been named the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Thomas Ediger Distinguished Composer of the Year.

Recognized at the 2026 MTNA National Conference for his composition, "Spaces Real or Imagined," Dr. Krause utilizes musical ekphrasis to translate the visual language of painter Maria Helena Vieira da Silva into a collection of five pieces.

This prestigious honor marks his second time receiving the award, following his first win in 2019.

🔗 Read more about the achievement and the inspiration behind his award-winning work at the link in our comments.

04/13/2026

The Hope College Department of Music warmly invites you to Morten Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna & Concert Spirituals.

This special performance will feature the Combined Choirs of Hope College, joined by Dr. Huw Lewis at the organ for Lauridsen’s luminous and deeply moving Lux Aeterna. The program also highlights a selection of Concert Spirituals, performed alongside Dr. Charsie Randolph Sawyer and Jennie Judd Reyes.