Written by: Matthew Orquia
During Southern Adventist University’s alumni weekend, the Die Meistersinger Male Chorus, hosted their 50th anniversary reunion concert in the Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists.
Nearly 100 Die Meistersinger alumni sang together for the performance.
Marvin Robertson, former dean of the university’s School of Music for more than 30 years, and founder of Die Meistersinger, was scheduled to direct the group during the concert, but was unable to due to health concerns, according to Peter Cooper, dean of the School of Music, who gave the concert’s introduction. Robertson directs a Die Meistersinger reunion every five years. Gerald Peel, Southern alumnus, directed the concert in his stead.
Robertson, affectionately referred to by many as “Doc Robertson,” started the Die Meistersinger chorus in 1974. He was involved in many musical groups during his time at Southern, but during the concert, Bruce Coston, a Southern alumnus and former member of Die Miestersinger, said “Doc’s crowning work, though, and the reason we’re here, was Die Miestersinger.”
Die Meistersinger began when Robertson assembled a group of men to sing for a Christmas concert in 1974. The chorus was so popular that, although Robertson initially had no intention of creating a new vocal group, the male choral group was created. Nearly 800 people have been a part of Die Meistersinger since 1974, according to Peel.
“Finding your name on the list of Die Meistersinger men that Doc posted on his door after auditions was truly a thrill,” Peel said. “Being a Die Meistersinger was an honor that came with a contract formed of Doc’s highest expectations.”
During the program, Peel announced that funding for the Marvin Robertson Endowed Concert Series was complete, thanks to support from Die Meistersinger alumni and supporters. He directed the announcement to Robertson, who was watching the concert via live stream.
The concert series will be hosted by the School of Music, according to the concert’s program.
“This will be a permanent homage to the values that Doc embodied: worship, excellence, precision, and beauty,” the program reads.
Over $260,000 has already been pledged to the endowment, according to Peel.
“Now your musical influence will not only be celebrated by those of us who were students in the distant past,” Peel said to Robertson, “but will touch students far in the future, as well.”
