Music and Theatre
The performing arts are about more than stage presence. They're about honoring our Creator.
The Department of Music and Theatre prepares graduates who are talented artists in tune with the creativity of our Maker. With each lecture, lesson, and performance, you’ll be challenged to grow in your abilities and prepare for a lifetime of sharing your gifts.
Majors, Minors, and Programs
Recent News
New Album from the Bethel Choir Features Favorites from Legacy Conductor Dennis Port
August 11, 2023 | 9 a.m.
Upcoming Events
OCT 14 2023
Con Voce Festiva, Dr. Merrin Guice Gill, Soprano
7:30 p.m. Benson Great Hall
Merrin Guice Gill presents a Collaborative Faculty recital, assisted by Emily Urban, collaborative pianist
OCT 20 2023
OCT 21 2023
Choral Ensembles Concert "Taste and See"
7:30 p.m. Benson Great Hall
The Singing Royal Choirs present their Fall concert
Glorifying God and Serving Others Through Music
In the music and theatre department at Bethel, we've developed majors and minors that allow students to sharpen their individual skills and follow their passions. We think that there's no better preparation for a career in the arts than working with peers in ensembles, meeting one-on-one with professors to fine-tune technical skills, or stepping onto the platform for competition and performance. After all the private lessons, long hours in practice rooms, and dress rehearsals, students in the program leave ready for a lifetime of sharing their gifts. It's about taking our faith in Christ and integrating it into everything we learn, into everything we do, so we can accomplish incredible things—in our careers, in our communities, and in our world.
Recent grads have performed with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, The Minnesota Opera, The Banff Festival Orchestra, The Aspen Festival, The Oregon Bach Festival, and the nation’s service bands.
Alumni perform in local musical theatre productions at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, the Ordway, the Guthrie, and the Minnesota Children’s Theatre Company.
Program Highlights
Renowned performance facilities
Bethel's 1,700-seat Benson Great Hall, one of the finest concert halls in the Upper Midwest, attracts local and national performers to aid in your growth as a musician or actor.
National and international tours
Music ensembles tour within the U.S. every year and internationally once every 4 years, and there are several mainstage theatre productions on campus each year, giving you the opportunity to share God's love and inspire others through performance.
Multi-disciplinary preparation
Because we're a liberal arts institution, you'll interact with a variety of disciplines, which prepares you for a multitude of careers. And with nearly 400 university students involved in ensembles, your experiences will be rich and diverse.
Talented faculty
Professors are passionate, innovative teachers, as well as talented artists in their own right, and a broad range of disciplines is represented. From private lessons to music theory classes, honoring God with our talents and discipline is at the core of what we do.
Excellent career placement
Nearly all of our recent music education grads who actively seek teaching positions have been placed in jobs throughout Minnesota and the nation.
Private lessons
Private lessons in voice and a variety of instruments are available to music and non-music majors alike.
Music competitions
We sponsor two student competitions each year—the fall semester Performance Prize and the spring Concerto-Aria competition—offering you top-level performance preparation and scholarship opportunities.
Performance opportunities
Bethel provides extensive opportunity for all students—music and theatre majors and non-majors alike—in both large and small ensembles, including:
- Bethel Choir
- Wind Symphony
- Chamber Orchestra
- Jazz Bands (2)
- and many others
In addition to their performances, these groups perform together in Bethel’s annual Festival of Christmas, Jazz in the Great Hall, and Classics in the Great Hall concerts. Students may also take part in several mainstage productions per year.
I started at Bethel in my 50s, in pursuit of a lifelong dream. Now retired, I am involved with several Twin Cities community theatres, acting (including several lead roles), directing and playwriting. It's never too late to follow your dream!
Ginny Leutgeb '13Actor
The theater department really taught me how and why to pursue the best version of myself. Not only did they educate me on the history, practice, and art of theatre, but how it impacts the world and my relationships today.
Josh Palmer '15Videographer at ACR Homes
Students have opportunities to meet industry professionals through faculty, performances, master classes, or auditions. By graduation, I had completed master classes with individuals from NYC, Minnesota Opera, and Orchestra Hall.
Ruthanne Heyward '11Current job: Working as a performing artist and actor in NYC
I was constantly performing through departmental events such as: weekly "Music Hour Recitals," orchestra and band concerts, solo and chamber recitals, semi-annual solo competitions, and yearly ensemble tours. I fell in love with the intensity of practicing and performing.
Lindsay Flowers '07Oboe/English Horn in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and Evansville Philharmonic; Citizen Musician Fellow under the mentorship of Yo-Yo Ma; Doctoral Candidate in Oboe Performance at Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University.
The classes were informative and practical. I often find myself using concepts I learned in acting classes to help with presentations even outside of theatre.
Erin Lorentz '13Current job: Student Alumni Programming Coordinator
Bethel provided me with an invaluable foundation in critically thinking and communicating about music, faith, and culture. Most of my colleagues have never had the opportunity, as I did, to regularly perform in an excellent venue like Benson Great Hall.
Madeline Veenker '10Current job: Choir and Bell Director at St. Paul church and runs private vocal studio; earned an M.M. in vocal performance from University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Everything I learned at Bethel prepared me for a life I could never have imagined, in music and ministry both.
Bruce Leafblad 61Professor of Church Music and Worship at B.H. Carroll Theological Institute in Arlington, Texas
The faculty takes a genuine interest in helping you develop as a student and as a person. The way I approach my students today is largely influenced by how the Bethel professors interacted with me on a daily basis.
Wes Myers '07Current job: Orchestra, Guitar, Music Technology Teacher 4-12 and Assistant Marching Band Director at Marshall Public Schools, Marshall, MN
The performing arts world is very dark, overall. Bethel prepared me to defend my faith and be an excellent performer. Graduate school thrust me into a cutthroat, competitive environment. But my identity doesn't rest on my musical successes or failures.
Kathryn Voelker '06Current job and grad school: Associate Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music Education and Piano at Liberty University and finishing D.A. in wind conducting from University of Northern Colorado
When I studied theatre at Bethel, I gained more than just a piece of paper. The program features talented professors who care wholeheartedly about their students' success and provide an exceptional experience on-stage and off.
Amy Shadis '06Dance Instructor
At Bethel, integrating faith and learning isn't just talk. The faculty are working musicians bringing a Christian perspective to their everyday work. My education prompted deep thought about music's role in Christian experience and clarified my calling to share music.
Nathan Cornelius '12Grad school: Lilly Graduate Fellow pursuing Doctor of Musical Arts degree in guitar performance, concurrently with a Master of Music in music theory pedagogy, at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University; Earned M.M. in composition and guitar performance from the Lamont School of Music, University of Denver.
Bethel's liberal arts curricula greatly prepared me for graduate work in musicology. Already accustomed to making interdisciplinary connections, I was able to think more creatively about my research and to synthesize what I had learned with more insight and clarity.
Eve Ruotsinoja '08Grad school: Finished M.M. in musicology from the University of Houston, 2013
What can I do with a music or theatre degree?
Students prepare for professional careers in a variety of industries and graduate programs in fields ranging from performance to music therapy to education.
Careers
Music and theatre graduates are:
- Actors
- Music educators
- Professional performers
- Worship leaders
- Studio teachers
- Music therapists
- Music software developers
- Arts administrators
- Accompanists
- Composers or arrangers
- Film score writers
- Recording or audio engineers
- Music publishers
- Instrument repairers
- Music library managers
Graduate Fields
Our alumni study:
- Music education
- Performance
- Conducting
- Composition
- Music therapy
Graduate Schools
Our alumni attend:
- Denver University
- Duke University
- Eastman School of Music
- Indiana University
- New York University
- University of Minnesota
- University of Missouri-Kansas City
- University of Northern Colorado
- University of Tennessee
