The spring 2025 arts season at Freno Pacific University opens with a choral masterpiece and includes concerts and art exhibits.
Handel’s Messiah will be performed at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, March 2, at University Presbyterian Church, 1776 E. Roberts Ave., Fresno. This Masterworks Collaborative Concert will feature selections from the first three parts of the oratorio sung by the FPU Concert Choir, San Joaquin Chorale and Fresno Choral Artists joined by singers from local churches, including Willow Avenue Mennonite Church, St. Michael’s Anglican Church, St. James Episcopal Cathedral and University Presbyterian. Vocalists and instrumentalists will be under the direction of Jeffrey Wilson, D.M.A., professor of music and director of choral activities at FPU. Admission is free; donations will be accepted.
Soloists will be Heather Chu and Bernadette LaMontagne-Schenck, soprano; Gena Chambers, Ashley Gage and Adeline Hollingsworth, alto; Davis Maga and Blake Quin, tenor; and Joe Camaquin-Vigil and Alex Lujan, bass.
Several soloists have connections with FPU:
- Ashley Gage is a senior majoring in liberal studies with an English concentration. She has been a member of the FPU Women’s Chorale, Concert Choir and Chamber Choir. She has performed Bach’s Cantata #4, Robert Ray’s Gospel Mass and John Rutter’s Requiem at FPU.
- Alex Lujan is a senior majoring in theater/performing arts. A part of FPU’s choral program for five years, he has sung in the Concert Choir, Men's Chorus and Chamber Singers.
- Davis Maga in his 15th year of teaching general music and choir for Fresno Unified School District and is currently in his 15th year of teaching, many of them as the director at Sunnyside High School. Davis studies choral conducting at FPU as a graduate student.
- Charles "Blake" Quin, a graduate of San Francisco State University with a B.M. in Classical Voice, is an FPU alumnus working in The Bay Area. Notable performances include Carmina Burana; premiering an Australian work, "The Street Requiem," with The Choral Project of San Jose under the direction of Daniel Hughes; and “Benedick” in Berlioz’s Beatrice and Benedick.
Other FPU spring arts events:
- The Spring Choral Concert at 7:00 p.m. Friday, April 25, in Warkentine Culture & Arts Center Atrium, 4838 E. Butler Ave., on the main FPU campus. The program will be student ensembles performing under Wilson’s direction. Admission is free.
- The Jamie Meadows Exhibit ArtHop reception from 5:00-8:00 p.m. Thursday, March 6, in Ewert Art Gallery, Warkentine Culture and Arts Center, 4838 E. Butler Ave., on the main FPU campus. Admission is free; the exhibit continues through March 28.
- The Brian Miller Exhibit ArtHop reception from 5:00-8:00 p.m. Thursday, April 3, in Ewert Art Gallery, Warkentine Culture and Arts Center, 4838 E. Butler Ave., on the main FPU campus. Admission is free; the exhibit continues through April 25.
- The Student Art Show ArtHop reception from 5:00-8:00 p.m. Thursday, May 1, in Ewert Art Gallery, Warkentine Culture and Arts Center, 4838 E. Butler Ave., Fresno, part of the main Fresno Pacific University campus. Admission is free; the exhibit continues through the summer.