Although he hasn’t been far away, Dr. Russell Adrian is now “home” on the Bethel campus to conduct the annual “Bethel Sings” concert.
Featuring three choirs and two student-led small a cappella groups, the concert takes place Nov. 2 at 4 p.m. in Bethel College Mennonite Church.
Adrian graduated from Bethel with degrees in music and mathematics and continued his education with a master of music in choral conducting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a D.M.A. in conducting from the University of Minnesota.
Adrian taught in the music department and directed the Bel Canto Singers at Hesston College for the past number of years, before taking the position of associate professor of music and director of choral activities at Bethel starting this fall.
“Bethel Sings” will include performances by the Bethel College Concert Choir, Chamber Singers and Chapel Choir.
The a cappella groups Woven (soprano-alto) and Open Road (tenor-bass) will also sing.
Accompanists are Dr. Christina Liu, piano, and Dr. Will Wiebe-Friesen, organ.
Liu is associate professor of music and department chair at Bethel. Wiebe-Friesen, Bethel associate professor of chemistry, is a lifelong musician and currently the organist at Bethel College Mennonite Church.
The program includes works by Claudio Monteverdi, Felix Mendelssohn, Joseph Haydn, Rodger Quilter, Ēriks Ešenvalds, Paul Simon, the Wailin Jennys, Michael McGlynn, Samuel Koch and others, with styles ranging from sacred classical to Celtic to spirituals to Broadway show tunes, and including some congregational singing.
Although planned as its own event that takes place on the first Sunday of November each year, “Bethel Sings” will serve as part of the biennial Worship and the Arts Symposium, Nov. 2-4 on campus.
The symposium brings to campus Dr. Luke Powery of Duke Divinity School, dean of Duke Chapel, a trained vocalist and nationally known expert in homiletics (the art of preaching), as well as visual artist Merrill Krabill of Goshen, Ind.
The symposium events are free and open to the public but require registration – see https://www.bethelks.edu/academics/worship-and-the-arts-symposium/ for a complete schedule, more about the presenters, and a link to the online registration form.
Concert Choir personnel are Maira Abrile de Paiva, Maddie Anderson, Seth Balzer, Carley Bartell, Riley Brunow, Josiah Buller, Lucy Burch, Maria Cortes-Hernandez, Stefany Cortes-Hernandez, Abby Deckert, Sophia England, Camryn Entz, Annabelle Francoeur, Pandora Freeman, Caleb Garber, Emma Graber, Abigail Grittman, Havea Hafoka, Henry Harrington, Riley Hartvickson, Angel Hernandez, Adah Hodge, Ben Janzen, Anna-Joy Jones, Abby Koontz, Caleb Koontz, Jasper Krehbiel, Kyra Linenberger, Luz Mayora-Valenzuela, Emily Medbury, Annalise Miller, Liam Ortman, Mara Oswald, Faith Peterson, April Powls, Bethany Schrag, Jacob Schrag, Noah Schrag, Timothy Schrag, Dalaina Schutte, Micheala Wenger, Ethan Wilcox and Victoria Wright.
Chapel Choir members are Erin Auman, Elyza Buller, Xavier Craven, Tristan Francis, Katelyn Harris, Aria Janusz, Madison McGee, Maya Morris and Vi Schmidt.
Chamber Singers personnel are Maddie Anderson, Seth Balzer, Riley Brunow, Caleb Garber, Emma Graber, Abigail Grittman, Henry Harrington, Ben Janzen, Anna-Joy Jones, Abby Koontz, Kyra Linenberger, Liam Ortman, Faith Peterson, Bethany Schrag, Jacob Schrag, Timothy Schrag, Dalaina Schutte and Ethan Wilcox.
Members of Open Road are Seth Balzer, Caleb Garber, Henry Harrington, Ben Janzen, Liam Ortman, Jacob Schrag, Timothy Schrag and Ethan Wilcox.
Woven is Maddie Anderson, Maria Cortes-Hernandez, Stephany Cortes-Hernandez, Emma Graber, Anna-Joy Jones, Abby Koontz, Kyra Linenberger and Bethany Schrag.
Bethel is a four-year liberal arts college founded in 1887 and is the oldest Mennonite college in North America. Bethel is ranked #25 in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Regional College Midwest for 2026. Bethel was the only Kansas college or university to be named a Truth, Community Healing and Transformation (TCHT) Campus Center, in 2021. For more information, see www.bethelks.
