Indiana Wesleyan University’s School of Arts and Humanities will offer an evening of art, music, theatre and media during its first-ever collaborative concert, Joy to the World.
The concert will be held on Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the Chapel Auditorium, located on the corner of Wildcat Drive and University Boulevard on Indiana Wesleyan’s main campus.
Dr. Todd Guy, interim dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, said this event has been in the making for four years and is the first multi-disciplined performance Indiana Wesleyan has put together.
“[We’re] using different elements from all of the disciplines and molding them together in a way to hopefully let people come in and not just feel good about Christmas, but to really think about what joy means and the different shades of joy,” Guy said.
The evening will feature an original musical composition by IWU professor Dr. Todd Syswerda as well as art, poetry and theatrical performances created by faculty and students for the event. Current issues such as poverty, homelessness and the Syrian refugee crisis will be incorporated into the program.
Approximately 400 students from the School of Arts and Humanities will be on stage throughout the concert. According to Davy Chinn, School of Arts and Humanities community arts coordinator, the audience will be fully engaged in the program.
“The evening starts as soon as they walk in the door,” Chinn said. The ushers will interact with the audience, and Guy said that part of the program will take place within the seating area.
Seating is general admission, and tickets are $10 each for adults, $5 each for students (through college), and children under 12 are free. Churches are encouraged to reserve blocks of seating in advance. Tickets are available by calling 765-677-1072 or emailing Chinn at davy.chinn@indwes.edu.
Ten percent of the evening’s proceeds will benefit a local not-for-profit organization, and 50 percent will provide scholarships for students in the Art+Design, Modern Languages and Literature, Music, and Communication and Theatre divisions.
IWU’s School of Arts and Humanities boasts 211 majors in Art+Design, 90 in Communication and Theatre, 181 in Music and 123 in Modern Languages and Literature.
More information about Indiana Wesleyan’s academic and community programs can be found here.