File photo from a previous year of the music festival in Winona Lake.

Press Release

WINONA LAKE — Grace College recently announced the sixth annual Grace College and The Village at Winona Festival of Music.

Running from March through December this year, the festival will feature local choruses, returning ensembles as well as brand new musicians. Sweetwater Sound will join Grace College, The Village at Winona and Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts in sponsoring the 2021 Festival of Music.

“We are thrilled to be back in full swing this year,” said Dr. Walter Brath, Festival of Music coordinator and director of worship arts at Grace College. “This year’s festival includes a great variety of musical genres. From worship music to jazz, chamber music to southern gospel, and a lot in between. We hope that everyone in the community will enjoy the festival this year.”

The first event of the 2021 season will be the Grace College Wind Ensemble spring concert titled “Classic Rewind.” The virtual concert will be live-streamed at 7 p.m. Friday, April 16. The concert will feature three section of music: music that made us, music we love and music we remember.

“I am very excited to conduct this performance,” said Eric Criss, Grace College director of the wind ensemble. “A wide array of music genres will be a treat for everyone. I am particularly excited about the debut of a jazz ensemble — the first of its kind at Grace in many years.”

In addition, the festival will kick off with two student recitals. The Worship Arts Student Vocal Recital is at 7 p.m. Friday, April 16, and the Student Instrumental Recital will take place at 7 p.m. Friday, April 30. Both concerts will feature student performances on voice, piano, guitar and strings.

“We keep things interesting at these student recitals,” said Brath. “Students will perform pieces from Mozart and Bach but also several contemporary composers. This is the chance for them to really showcase what they’ve learned over the past semester.”

The student recitals will both be held in-person at Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church, 1200 Kings Highway.

The Symphony on the Lakes spring orchestra concert will also take place at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 17.

Later in the season, the annual Independence Day celebration will take place on July 3, and the annual Jazz Fest will be held on July 24. Back by popular demand, the Booth Brothers will be in town for a southern gospel concert on Aug. 21.

Additionally, there are four concerts set to take place in the fall. The SIBs Weekend Concert will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 10, at the Indiana Hall Lawn. The Symphony on the Lakes Fall Orchestra Concert will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 2 in the Winona Heritage Room.

Grace College’s Wind Ensemble Fall Concert will also take place in the Winona Heritage Room at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 19. Symphony on the Lakes “Christmas in the Village” is at 7 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Winona Heritage Room.