On Thursday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m., the Lake Michigan College Concert Choir, directed by Rebecca Derbas-Selvidge, will be joined by the Michigan School Vocal Music Association (MSVMA) District 6 Middle School Honors Choir, directed by Matthew W. Smith, for the Rivers & Roots Choir Concert. The program will celebrate through song the connection between the natural world and humanity. It will take place in the LMC Mendel Center Jenkins Theatre on the College’s Benton Harbor Campus, 2755 E. Napier Ave. Tickets are not required for this free general admission event.
Planned selections include “Emerald Stream” by Seth Houston; “Many Waters – Second Movement” from “Wedding Cantata” by Daniel Pinkham; “Kein Hälmlein wächst auf Erden” by W.F. Bach; “Earth Blessing” by J. David Moore; “Water Fountain” by Nathaniel Brenner and Merrill Garbus, arranged by Kristopher Fulton; and “As the Ship Went Down” by Woodpigeon, arranged by George Chung, which will be performed collectively by the LMC Concert Choir and District 6 Middle School Honors Choir.
Students are selected for the MSVMA District 6 Middle School Honors Choir by their choir directors to participate in the all-day experience being held for the fourth year in a row at LMC. The day culminates for the students in a public concert performance.
For more information about the LMC Music and Theater programs and performances, visit lakemichigancollege.edu/arts, email [email protected], or call 269-927-8876.
About the Directors
Matthew W. Smith is the Director of Choirs and Performing Arts Department Chair at Lake Orion High School in Lake Orion, Mich. He is in his seventh year at LOHS and his 17th year of teaching. In that time, Smith has taught K-12 music in Livonia Public Schools, Rochester Community Schools, Lake Shore Public Schools, and Lake Orion Community Schools.
Smith holds a Bachelor of Music from Oakland University (’09), where he studied under the mentorship of Dr. Michael A. Mitchell. He has taken his ensembles to district and state Choral Festival and Solo and Ensemble Festivals, where they have consistently received superior and first division ratings. Smith’s choirs have been chosen to perform at the 2019 Michigan Music Conference choral hour and the 2022 MSVMA All-State Gala. Smith currently serves as the District Manager of MSVMA District 16 and is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association and an alumnus of Phi Mu Alpha Fraternity.
Rebecca Derbas-Selvidge holds a Bachelor of Music in Choral Education degree from Western Michigan University, a Master of Arts degree from the University of South Florida, and a Certificate of Musical Theatre Performance from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.
She has performed with various ensembles including Lake Effect Jazz Big Band under the direction of Steven Reed, Gold Company under the direction of Dr. Steve Zegree, WMU Chorale under the direction of Dr. James Bass, and VOICES LMC. She has also performed at the International Association of Jazz Educators conference in Toronto. She has appeared on several albums including WMU Gold Company’s “Who Could Ask for Anything More” and “30”; Tim Hauser’s “Love Stories”; and “Ditties for Kiddies,” a benefit CD for Little Kids Rock.
She was a founding member of the Three Divas of Southwest Michigan with Carrie VanDenburgh and Katherine Rohwer. Derbas-Selvidge is a proud alum of the Lake Michigan College music department, where she received the Steve Sizer Vocal Scholarship and the Outstanding Musician of the Year award, and where she met her husband, Alan. She is mom to their son, Jack; their crazy dog, Ginger; and their spicy cat, Wasabi.
About the Lake Michigan College Music and Theater Programs
Lake Michigan College’s Music and Theater programs allow students to reach new levels of excellence through classroom instruction and public performance. The programs are based in the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center, the only performing arts center of its kind in Southwest Michigan. Here, LMC students can study the performing arts in a venue that attracts thousands of patrons annually. Auditions are held for select ensembles that perform on the same stages as world-renowned touring acts. Students in any major can audition for musicals and plays, and can join three vocal ensembles, a pop/rock ensemble, and the Red Hawk Jazz Collective. One of only two colleges in Michigan to carry the prestigious All-Steinway designation, LMC has a team of highly qualified faculty who bring real-world expertise to the classroom and the stage.
Posted September 29, 2026