Santa Rosa Junior College’s Music Department will present a digital Oktoberfest on YouTube as its first event of the semester at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 30.
The event will have a GoFundMe account set up and ready to take viewers’ donations.
Viewers who help support the vocal and choral music programs at SRJC have a chance to win a Bavarian cuckoo clock, an antique Bierstein (beer mug) or a child’s authentic Dirndl outfit.
“In the Oktoberfest event, attendees will experience a variety of traditional German songs,” said David Kerr, 23, an SRJC vocal performance major. Kerr has been in the choir and chamber group for five semesters and has been the section leader for the baritones for the last three semesters. “We are sharing music from the Concert Choir, Chamber Singers and music from our German: Diction and Repertoire class. The Diction and Repertoire class has been working on solo and small group arrangements of traditional folk songs.”
Kerr was excited to make his song “Ich Bin Ein Musikante,” along with a few of other students, using an app called Acapella to connect the multiple parts. “It wasn’t easy to figure out, but once I started, and the other parts started coming together, I got excited to see the finished result,” he said.
“It’s been difficult switching from in-person learning to online learning as a musician, especially when so much of the music is based on interacting with other parts, but with all the extra time Director of Vocal Music Jody Benecke and accompanist Nancy Hayashibara have put in, it’s made the transition much smoother,” Kerr said.
Kerr has only seen a few clips of the choral repertoire performance and said he will be watching along with the other attendees for the first time as well. “We are all looking forward to seeing how our hard work pays off,” he said.
