"LET ALL MEN SING!"
When: OCTOBER 5, 2026!
Where: the newly renovated UNL KIMBALL RECITAL HALL
Registration Form HERE (registration limited)
No school ensemble cost, no per-singer cost, Literature TBA (see below), 6:30pm evening concert is free and open to the public. REGISTRATIONS MAY BE LIMITED SO PLEASE REGISTER EARLY.
About the Festival
UNL has long been a men's chorus national leader and will again be hosting a fall men's choral festival. It is positioned early in the school year so as to provide an often-needed boost to the enthusiasm for male singing in your school. Music is either purchased by individual schools or downloaded via pdf to interested directors from this site. Music is often newly composed or arranged specifically for this wonderful event. It helps reduce music costs and early ordering for the participating schools. Some schools bring their entire men's chorus and desire a performance slot on the evening festival concert; other schools bring available and interested young students and sing in the massed choir on the concert. All singers, young and seasoned join together in the festival chorus 6:30pm free concert. Participation is free; the evening concert event is free of charge. Interested directors should Email Dr. Pete Eklund at UNL at pae@unl.edu
Please consider joining us for this wonderful fall choral event. Many groups have made this a part of their fall curriculum and performance schedule and it has been an absolute treat to see the male ensembles grow in talent, numbers, and performance product over the years. For these men to perform in front of a large packed auditorium is just what they need to return to their local schools and spread the infectious enthusiasm for singing.
Attire for the rehearsal-day is 'casual.' However, we love the concept of the men's choirs wearing matching school choir t-shirts or polos during the day (MEN'S CHOIR PRIDE!). And another viable option is wearing your school's attire to promote school spirit.
Attire for the performance will be (for the high schoolers) a white or very light-colored dress shirt, dark dress slacks, dark shoes and socks, and a tie (however, if your men's chorus has a specific performance uniform, please show your pride and wear that).
FOR ADDITIONAL INFO AND MUSIC LIST / PDF, CONTACT DR. PETER A. EKLUND AT pae@unl.edu
Repertoire (please print and distribute these with student-singers prior to arrival at the Festival):
To purchase by each school: 1) LET ALL MEN SING (by Keith Christopher TTBB octavo, Hal Leonard 08703182) 2) THE AWAKENING (by Joseph Martin TTBB octavo, Shawnee Press 35001492) 3) free download to print: GLORIA from Joseph Hayden's Heiligmesse)
Schedule
Festival Schedule (subject to change)
Monday, October 5th – All events to be held at and in the newly renovated Kimball Recital Hall.
Travel safely!
8:00am doors open
8:30am Seating (fill in all empty seats in the front—there will be neon sticky notes separating the choir)
9:00am Morning Rehearsal; break at 9:20 to sectionals
9:30am - 10:30 AM Sectionals — baritones remain in auditorium — move to stage; tenor I to WMB choir room (131); tenor II to WMB band room (116), basses to Kimball upper front lobby. Baritones=Dr. Eklund, & Max+Jeff Spencer; Tenor I=Jaime O'Neill & Lisabeth Wissink+Sally Dunn assisting on piano; Tenor II=Jun Terasawa & John Heldridge+Emily Nolan+Jason Frew with Annie von Kampen assisting on piano; Bass=Jake Ven Huizen & Sam Klemme+Rachel Kornfeld-Lambrecht with Sally Dunn assisting on piano; Hugo Madera get to 'float around' sections as assist where needed!
10:30am Restroom break
10:45am Resume rehearsal in together in same seats as earlier in Kimball
noon Lunch Break
1:30pm Resume rehearsal (use the same seats as morning rehearsal)
1:35pm USingers joins rehearsal
2:00pm Resume rehearsal
3:15pm Restroom / drink break; Washington High School sound check (15min)
3:30pm Varsity Chorus short performance (50 minutes)
4:45pm dinner break, leave clothing bags under your seat, please leave the room quietly so the next group can rehearse. Retrieve bags quietly after meal.
5pm Brass set-up
5:15pm Brass sound check
5:30pm set the stage for Varsity
5:45pm UNL men on stage (with brass, TBA - 10-15 min)
6:00pm High school singers can have access to Kimball lower lobby and the Men's Restrooms for changing
House (seating area) opens for public.
6:30 PM CONCERT
Travel safely on your return home!!!
Mark your calendar for next year: October 4, 2027
DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION:
UNL Conference Services is committed to providing appropriate accommodations to guests with disabilities. In order to ensure that appropriate arrangements can be made, guests with disabilities who need reasonable accommodations must contact the Director of Services for Students with Disabilities at 402/472-3787 at least three weeks prior to their scheduled arrival on campus. Please be prepared to tell that office the name of the conference/camp and dates of attendance.