United in Song
Open Road, a name chosen by the original ensemble, is rooted in a shared experience, told as follows: “We were singing at a church service on a Sunday morning when a homeless man came into the service. He was receiving aid from the church. We listened to the man’s story and discovered that he had no name; he went by the alias of ‘Open Road.’ Because we were moved by his testimony and the evident joy of life, despite his suffering and disappointment, we decided to honor him by assuming his name, Open Road. That story and his image have stayed with us since that experience.”
Open Road began in the fall of 2000 as a student-directed group of tenor/bass who came united by singing. Since then, the group has established a concert schedule serving Bethel College and the surrounding community. All members of Open Road are active singers in the Bethel College Concert Choir and their music is often featured during the annual Concert Choir tour.
In addition to local church concerts, Open Road performs at various Bethel College events. They have been featured with the Kansas Mennonite Men’s Chorus, the Mennonite Church USA conventions in Charlotte, N.C., and San Jose, Calif. They have been a selected choir at the Kansas Music Educators Association (KMEA) annual convention. They annually perform a home concert in Memorial Hall on the Bethel campus as part of their concert schedule.
Open Road appreciates its audiences as they strive for excellence through their disciplined singing and dedicated commitment to each other. Their music celebrates their love of tenor/bass a cappella singing.