Concordia Nebraska to present spring University Orchestra and Wind Symphony concerts

Concordia University, Nebraska’s instrumental ensembles offer community members multiple opportunities to hear a variety of instrumental repertoire. Instrumental music allows the audience to fit their own experiences, narratives and emotions into the music, free of the constraints of lyrical specificity. 

The Concordia University, Nebraska University Orchestra will present its spring concert on Saturday, April 18, and the University Wind Symphony will perform its spring concert the following day on Sunday, April 19. 

The orchestra concert will be at 2 p.m. at St. John Lutheran Church in Seward. The program features two main works Joseph Haydn’s “Symphony no. 49” and Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring Suite.” Each of these pieces are staples of symphonic repertoire.  

“Our sincere hope is that audiences walk out of our concert this that they will be edified in their faith and refreshed in a way that only God’s creation of music is able to do.”

“Haydn and Copland were each an innovator in their own time and in their own way, and their work is regarded as quality, time-tested orchestral literature. The Orchestra's performance of La Passione and the faculty's performance of Appalachian Spring Suite give both a sense of how far the Orchestra program has come and where it is going!” said director and Professor of Music Robert Cody. 

The Wind Symphony concert will be at St. John Lutheran Church in Seward at 3 p.m. on April 19. The program includes a wide range of sacred wind band literature featuring familiar hymn tunes. The program is based around the theme “Stable and Steadfast.” 

 “The theme verse for the 2025-2026 academic year from Colossians reminds us that we are set firmly on the foundation of our faith in Jesus Christ. This faith has been proclaimed in song throughout the centuries. In this concert program, we have selected works that are based on these hymns, specifically hymns that point to this stable, steadfast and never shifting foundation,” said Cody. “As audiences listen, we invite them to read along with the hymn texts and consider them based on what they hear. Our sincere hope is that audiences walk out of our concert this that they will be edified in their faith and refreshed in a way that only God’s creation of music is able to do.” 

Concerts are free and open to the public, but free will donations will be accepted during each event’s intermission. 

Students and community members involved in the musical ensembles include: 

Orchestra 

Haydn Symphony No. 49 

Violin

Timothy Baker, Poy Sippi, Wisconsin 

Anika Bjordahl, Sioux Falls, South Dakota 

Elizabeth Crawford, Plano, Texas 

Nathaniel Eldridge, David City, Nebraska 

Anna Grass ’24, Seward, Nebraska 

Elaina Hanson, Valdez, Arkansas 

Ellen Klintworth, Seward, Nebraska 

Kenneth Lee, Bartlesville, Oklahoma 

Avery Rothert (Concert Master), Kansas City, Missouri 

Naomi Sharkey, Cedar Falls, Iowa 

Abby Van Velson,’23, Broken Bow, Nebraska 

Naomi Weber, Fort Wayne, Indiana 

Viola 

Rachel Brinkman, Plymouth, Minnesota 

Sophia Roberts, Maryville, Tennessee 

Cello 

Dylan Buechler, Rapid City, South Dakota 

Abigail Showalter, Seward, Nebraska 

Lars Gindler, Collinsville, Illinois 

Rachel Holst, Hartford City, Indiana 

Bass 

Kelsey O’Gara, Duvall, Washington 

Richard Peperkorn, Fort Wayne, Indiana 

Horn 

Nathan Feusse, Saginaw, Michigan 

Creighton Urban, Callender, Iowa  

Oboe 

Juliette Botsolis, Seward, Nebraska 

Katelyn Cody ’13, Seward, Nebraska 

 

Appalachian Spring 

Flute 

Danielle Turner, Derby, Kansas 

Clarinet 

Heather Ryan-Christie, Lincoln, Nebraska 

Bassoon 

Natalie Francel-Stone, Grand Island, Nebraska 

Violin 

Teimuraz Janakshvili (Concert Master) 

Anna Grass 

Kirsten Wissink, Woodbridge, Connecticut 

Abby VanVelson 

Viola 

Maddee Hall, Lincoln, Nebraska 

Grace Dowd, Lincoln, Nebraska 

Cello 

Eric Wallace, Seward, Nebraska 

Jennifer Lochead, Lincoln, Nebraska 

Bass 

Matthew Jahnke, Lincoln, Nebraska 

 

Wind Symphony 

Flute 

Faith Brackney, Allen, Texas 

Lana Tillman, Battle Creek, Nebraska 

Karalynn Pingel, Janesville, Wisconsin 

Evelyn Schwartz, Peachtree City, Georgia 

Danielle Turner 

Hailey Winkelman, Mayer, Minnesota 

Oboe 

Sarah Stepp, Lincoln, Nebraska 

Bassoon 

Naomi Weber 

Clarinet 

Bailey Bianco, Loveland, Colorado 

Arabella Blakeley, Havana, Illinois 

Hayley Miles, North Platte, Nebraska 

Sydney Rohwer, Kearney, Nebraska 

Claire VanTol, Unionville, Michigan 

Bass Clarinet 

Walter Seipold, Hastings, Iowa 

Alto Saxophone 

Autumn Consier, Churdan, Iowa 

Grace Donnelly, Three Forks, Montana 

Nathan Sollberger, Louisville, Nebraska 

Tenor Saxophone 

Jonah Carter, McKinney, Texas 

Baritone Saxophone 

Taylor Rogers, Plainville, Kansas 

Trumpet 

Caleb Anderson, Affton, Missouri 

Taylor Beal, Frisco, Texas 

Emily Castens, New Haven, Indiana 

Matthew Feusse, Saginaw, Michigan 

Matthew Hoops, Utica, Nebraska 

Ellen Klintworth, Seward, Nebraska 

Abbey Kudrna, Omaha, Nebraska 

Mitchell Stephens, Brenham, Texas 

Horn 

Mary Bennett, Vernon Center, Minnesota 

Kylie Burken, Holdrege, Nebraska 

Nathan Feusse 

Elizabeth Salo, West Ely, Missouri 

Creighton Urban, Callender, Iowa 

Trombone 

Maxwell Carlson, Norfolk, Nebraska 

David Eatherton, St. Louis, Missouri 

Miriam Ganoung, Halsey, Nebraska 

Michaela Gibbs, Belleville, Illinois 

Matthew Guilford, Lincoln, Nebraska 

Joshua Meyer, Longmont, Colorado 

Euphonium 

Jacob Laesch, St. Louis, Missouri 

Joshua Oberdieck, Elizabeth, Indiana 

Tuba 

Matthew Frerking, Columbia, Missouri 

Benjamin Sams, Utica, Nebraska 

Percussion 

Ethan Bryson, Clarinda, Iowa 

Aleksa Chambers, Wilber, Nebraska 

Gretchen Hoft, Eldridge, Iowa 

Timothy Mars, Cody, Wyoming 

Shasta Tonniges, York, Nebraska 

Rebecca Tredray, Robbinsdale, Minnesota 

Jacob Wald, Sioux Falls, South Dakota 

Aaron Wulff, St. Charles, Missouri 

String Bass 

Kelsey O’Gara 

 

The music department at Concordia University, Nebraska offers students rigorous preparation for glorifying God in their vocations through the study, performance, and teaching of music. Applied lessons, ensembles of many types and top-tier practice facilities allow students to further their study of music at the highest level, no matter their personal interests or previous musical experience. Learn more about the music department here.