Ventriloquist, Musicians Entertain Worthington Church

By Jonathan Weaver

More than 50 local residents laughed at jokes and sang with student musicians Friday evening during a family musical Christmas event in Worthington.

The event held at Evangelical Lutheran Church included New Middletown, Ohio ventriloquist Tristan Hostetter and three Indiana University of Pennsylvania musicians.

Hostetter, a senior at Springfield Local High School near Youngstown, hopes to graduate in June and attend Youngstown State University for marketing/advertising while also continuing his ventriloquism.

“I definitely want to keep this going as long as I can, at least as a hobby for the rest of my life,” Hostetter said.

Hostetter started five years ago when he received “Cooper the Chicken” (who claims to be Kentucky’s Favorite Chicken) as a birthday gift. He was inspired by “America’s Got Talent” Season Two Winner Terry Fator.

“I think in the history of my school. We’re doing a “12 Days of Christmas” video for the seniors and I got “One Senior Ventriloquist,” Hostetter said.

“This is the furthest I’ve ever driven for a show,” he added. “My mom was actually worried there would be snow up here.”

Hostetter also performed in New Castle during the summer at electricity provider Pennsylvania Power’s family day and also voiced “Large Marge” (who can’t cook despite being a school ‘lunch lady’) and “Bob the Singing Mathematician” (a character children in the audience helped to draw on a dry erase board).

Audience members were also able to create their own puppet elves out of brown paper bags.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania Assistant Professor of Organ and Keyboard Dr. Christine Clewell has taught regionally since Fall 1999 and brought three of her students to perform Christmas carols and an assortment of hymns.

“I don’t think Christmas is Christmas without great music,” Clewell said.

Sophomores Hsin-Jou Lee, from Taiwan, and Junior Kenken Coronado, a New Jersey native, just started playing the organ in the past year, but all have piano experience.

“It’s a totally different instrument for me,” Lee said.

But, Lee said most of the music students performed for their student jury earlier this week so the quartet did not have to learn any new hymns.

Sophomore Nina Parra, from Colombia (Latin America), has been studying music her whole life as well (growing up in a family of musicians), and also has experience as the organist at St. Matthew’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Pittsburgh (North Side).

“I’m used to playing church music every Sunday,” Parra said. “I improved so much this semester with the organ.”

Students performed “Joy to the World,” “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” and “Silent Night” during their performance and asked attendees to sing along.

Coronado, a New Jersey native who was inspired by his music teacher (an IUP alum) to come to Pennsylvania, played trumpet to accompany his fellow musicians.

The last day for student final exams was Friday before fall commencement, but Coronado will continue practicing during the next few weeks of holiday break due to his involvement in the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony and his National Trumpet Competition audition.

After the performance, Clewell – also a Lutheran organist - praised her students and the local community for helping educate them.

“They did very well – I couldn’t be more pleased,” Clewell said. “They’re the ‘cream of the crop.’ It was very rewarding for the students and certainly for the audience.

“We want to get the students experience playing at churches, and Worthington has been a very important and valued relationship. It’s given our students for eight years on-the-job experience playing the organ for worship and we hope it will continue. This church has really been a part of their education, and I thank them for it. It’s important to give back.”

Dalton Good, chair of the church’s Stewardship and Evangelism Committee, said Clewell has performed at the church in the past and that’s how the connection occurred.

The lifelong Worthington parishioner said the ventriloquism act was the first at the church to attract children, but that adult parishioners know the church dabbles in many musical events.

“Our whole thinking behind this is that because Jesus gives us grace freely, we want to give back to the community,” Good said. “We don’t charge or anything – we used to have ‘Sundaes on Sunday’ with quite a range of genres of music – everything from country western to bluegrass and gospel – to show that all types of people are welcome.”

Groups church leaders hope to bring the Cranberry Men’s Chorus and the Pitt Pendulums co-ed a cappella student group in the future should attendance rise.

Patty Belles of Kittanning came to the event with husband, Terry. A member for about 10 years who sings in the choir, she enjoyed both the ventriloquism and the musical aspects of the evening.