Hope College will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts with a special Homecoming Concert on Friday, October 17, at 7 p.m. in the Jack H. Miller concert hall.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
The evening will feature performances by a range of Hope College鈥檚 premier ensembles, including the Hope College Orchestra, Jazz Arts Collective, Concert Band, and choral groups Chapel Choir, Spera, and Veritas. Together, they will perform a variety of music that highlights the talent and creativity of Hope鈥檚 music community.
Adding depth to the celebration, Dr. Braxton Shelly, a professor at Yale University, will present a pre-concert lecture titled 鈥淲hat Is American Music?鈥� at 6 p.m. in the concert hall. His talk will explore how American music has developed and what makes it unique.
The Jack H. Miller Center, completed in 2015, stands as a world-class facility for music instruction and performance. Its 800-seat concert hall features flexible acoustics and seating, complemented by the 125-seat John and Dede Howard Recital Hall for smaller performances. The building also includes classrooms, rehearsal and practice rooms, faculty studios, and offices for the Department of Music, making it a hub for musical excellence on campus and in the Holland community.
The Jack H. Miller Center is named in honor of Jack H. Miller, a 1954 Hope graduate and longtime community leader. Miller, passed away on April 2, 2025, leaving behind a lasting legacy at Hope College and the Holland community.
The Program will include:
Concert Band
Moorside March from Moorside Suite by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934)
When the Earth Stands Still by Don MacDonald (b. 1966) arr. M.J. Wamhoff
Water Music Suite No. 1, HWV 348 I Allegro by George Frideric Handel (1685 - 1759)
VERITAS
The Last Words of David by Randall Thompson (1899 - 1964)
Jazz Arts Collective
The Big Boot by Kenny Drew (1928 - 1993) arr. Rob Killips
Fun Time by Sammy Nestico (1924 - 2021)
Count Bubba by Gordon Goodwin (b. 1944) arr. Paul Murtha
SPERA
The Redwood by Matthew Lyon Hazzard (b. 1989)
Chapel Choir
Give Me Jesus, traditional arr. L. L. Flemming
My Soul鈥檚 Been Anchored in the Lord, spiritual arr. Moses Hogan
Orchestra
Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky (1839 - 1881), orch. Maurice Ravel
- Promenade (opening theme) IX. The Hut on Hen鈥檚 Legs (Baba Yaga)
- The Great Gate of Kiev
The concert will conclude with all ensembles joining together for the college鈥檚 Alma Mater Hymn by Dr. Robert W. Cavanaugh.
To inquire about accessibility or accommodations to fully participate in the event, please email accommodations@hope.edu. Updates related to events are posted when available at hope.edu/calendar in the individual listings.
The Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts is located at 221 Columbia Ave., between Ninth and 10th streets.