As the end of the year swiftly approaches, the Sam Houston State University Women’s Choir will put on their annual concert on April 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Directed under Denise Eaton, adjunct faculty and conductor of the Women’s choir, this choir consists of 35 girls.
Choirs under Eaton’s direction have appeared six times at TMEA (Texas Music Educators Association) and SWACDA (Southwest Division of the American Choral Directors Association) conventions.
Earlier in the semester, Eaton hosted the Women’s Invitational Concert which helped young women from the surrounding communities receive clinical training, instill empowerment and help break them free of their comfort zone.
This concert however, will be performed by the SHSU’S Women’s Choir and will include works from the previous semester.
“The music will be pieces that we pulled from the fall and from our March concert because we did not have much time to learn new music,” Eaton said. “We did learn about five or six new pieces for this concert. So it will be a little bit of this and that, which is typical for a final concert.”
Some choir members’ senior year is coming to an end, so this will be their last concert.
“I believe I have five or six women who will be involved in student teaching next fall so this will be their last school concert before they graduate,” Eaton said.
Eaton earned her B.A. in music education from the University of Texas at Austin with an emphasis in piano and voice and M.M. in choral conducting from Sam Houston State University.
Over numerous summers, Eaton has presented choral workshops for the Center for Music Education at SHSU. In addition to her position as the Director for Women’s choir, Eaton also teaches choral method classes.
“I have been at Sam for five years as an adjunct so I have done three or four concerts a year,” Eaton said.
Eaton has taught for 34 years with 29 of those years at the high school level. She conducted over 25 Texas Region Choirs and represented over 40 workshops.
Eaton has developed more inventive styles that have helped women of all ages.
The Women’s Choir concert will perform at the James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center on April 23 at 7:30 p.m.
General admission into the concert is $15 and student admission with an ID is $5. For more information, contact the School of Music at 936-294-1360.
