Welcome to the schedule for the 2022-23 season of the Karcher Concerts Series! An exciting year of music lies ahead as we welcome many different performers to the beautifully acoustic space of Saint Wendelin Catholic Church. Information on each of the concerts or recitals can be found below. As concerts get closer, more details will be added, especially as to some of the repertoire to be performed.
View photos from last year's concerts: Click Here!
Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 8:00: Bowling Green State University Men's Chorus
Widely reputed as “America’s Finest Singing Machine,” the Bowling Green State University Men’s Chorus is an auditioned large ensemble open to all tenor and bass singers on campus. The ensemble encompasses students from across all majors, representing all seven colleges at the University with over half of the members being non-music majors. The chorus functions both as a student organization and as a course offered through the College of Musical Arts, therefore deriving an atmosphere of brotherly camaraderie and exemplary musicianship. This year’s fall tour program includes a variety of repertoire, with classic selections by Franz Schubert and Pablo Casals, new compositions by Jocelyn Hagen and Joan Szymko, music by John Legend and Common from the motion picture, “Selma”, traditional songs of the BGSU Men’s Chorus, and more.
Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 3:00: Heidelberg Concert Choir & Chamber Singers
Our second concert will feature the Heidelberg University Concert Choir and Chamber Singers on Sunday, November 13 at 3:00 PM. Aiden Steinmetz, one of our cantors, is a member of the Concert Choir!
The Concert Choir is the premiere mixed choral ensemble of Heidelberg University’s School of Music. Annually, the choir masters an eclectic repertoire of choral literature representing major choral genres, historical eras, and cultural traditions. Highlights of the year include the choir’s collaboration with the University-Community Chorus and Orchestra each December in performances of Handel’s Messiah and other traditional holiday favorites and the annual spring tour. The choir is open by audition to all Heidelberg University students, regardless of major. The Chamber Singers is a small ensemble consisting of singers selected from The Concert Choir that specializes in performances of music from the Renaissance, Baroque, Romantic, and contemporary eras.
Sunday, January 8, 2023 at 4:00: Lima Symphony Brass Quintet
Christmas isn't complete without a brass quintet! Close out the Christmas season on the solemnity of Epiphany with brass players from the Lima Symphony Orchestra.
We welcome:
Jake Ciulla, first trumpet
Paul Hoverman, second trumpet
Adam Julian, horn
Dale Laukhuf, trombone
Tim Olt, tuba
There may also be a piece or two combined with our magnificent Holtkamp pipe organ!
Sunday, March 5, 2023 at 3:00: Erica Gabel, mezzo-soprano
At our fifth concert, we welcome home a daughter of the parish, Erica Gabel! Erica graduated from Ohio Northern University in 2017 with a BA in Theatre and a minor in Arts Administration. Upon graduation, Erica spent the summer and fall performing with the Peanuts Gang at Cedar Point. In February of 2018, she accepted an internship at Writers Theatre in Glencoe, Illinois, which brought her to Chicago. She has remained there since then, taking classes at Acting Studio Chicago and working on short films and theatre productions. She is currently working on a production of the Greek tragedy, Antigone, with Playtime Theatre Company. Her dream is to work as a professional actor throughout Chicago and Los Angeles; but really, her biggest dream is to be cast in National Treasure 3!
Erica is a 2013 graduate of St. Wendelin Catholic School and a two-time recipient of the Karcher Music Scholarship. She will perform a concert of songs from popular musicals! You definitely want to come hear her sing and welcome her "home"!
Sunday, April 23, 2023 at 4:00: Fostoria Handbell Choirs - Handbell-a-palooza!
The handbell choirs of Saint Wendelin, Hope Lutheran, and First Presbyterian will come together to ring out songs of joy! Each bell choir will play a few pieces of their own and at the end, they create a "Handbell-a-palooza" with all three choirs combining together to close out the concert!
You won't want to miss this wonderful concert where we bring together multiple churches in our beloved Fostoria!
Thursday, May 18, 2023 at 7:00: Angela Massey, flute, and Chee-Hang See, piano
Our final concert of the 2022-23 season is a flute and piano duo: Angela Massey and Chee-Hang See.
As a soloist, has been a featured guest artist with the Tryon Concert Association, Kosciuszko Foundation in New York City, River Center for the Performing Arts, and the National Flute Association. Outside of the United States, she has performed in England, France, Germany, Italy, Romania, and Switzerland. She serves as Artistic Director and founder of the Astralis Chamber Ensemble arranging and performing numerous recitals each year. She received degrees in flute performance from Carnegie Mellon University, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Chee-Hang See has performed in concert series and festivals such as the Festival Internacional de Colonia, Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Musicale, South Carolina Chamber Music Festival, Chicago Duo Piano Festival, Hawaii International Cultural Arts Festival, and Piccolo Spoleto Festival. He has soloed with Toa Payoh West Chinese Orchestra in Singapore; Bela Bartok Orchestra in Perugia, Italy; Montevideo Philharmonic in Uruguay; Charleston Symphony; and the Cleveland Institute of Music Chamber Orchestra. He also plays regularly with Charleston Symphony, Chamber Music Charleston, and in the Sandberg-See Duo with his wife, violinist Nina Sandberg. He holds degrees and diplomas from Cleveland Institute of Music, College of Charleston, the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, and Trinity College London.