Music and Glorifying God on a Grand Stage
The Master’s University Chorale at Carnegie Hall
A PARTNER MINISTRY STORY
On December 1, 2026, The Master’s University Chorale will be afforded an opportunity few college musicians receive. They will perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City, arguably the most famous performance hall in the country. Add to that the fact that the Chorale will be debuting a brand-new composition from famed composer Heather Sorenson and it’s quite heady stuff not only for the students in Chorale, but also for their leader, Dr. Marius Bahnean, associate professor of music and director of chorale activities at TMU.
“The Lord has given me the opportunity to sing in Oxford and Cambridge,” Dr. Bahnean said. “And I’d put Carnegie Hall up alongside those historic places. The history is unbelievable. I’ve always wanted to perform there, but I haven’t had the opportunity.”
The story of how this opportunity for TMU’s chorale and Dr. Bahnean came about goes back to 2024, when TMU and Heather Sorenson first crossed paths. At the time, Dr. Bahnean selected Heather’s Requiem for the University Singers to perform at a special concert at TMU. The typical requiem is intended for funerals or memorials. It’s designed to honor those who have died. They are dramatic and mournful. Heather’s requiem was different. It was intended not to honor the dead, but to speak to the living. It reminds them they are eternal beings who will one day face their own day of reckoning. And through the use of Psalms and hymns arranged in a sacred way, Heather’s requiem reminds all who listen that they can have a beautiful eternity with Christ. It’s a hopeful, joyous composition.
Not only did the University Singers perform Heather’s music, they were honored when she flew to Los Angeles and conducted them herself. It was a wonderful opportunity to work with one of the best living composers of sacred music. Heather walked away impressed. So impressed, in fact, that she personally requested the TMU Chorale to perform with her at Carnegie Hall when her new composition premiered in the winter of 2026.
“The fact that Heather vouched for us speaks greatly to how well our students apply themselves and the high quality of musical performance at TMU,” Dr. Bahnean said. “Normally, it’s quite a process to perform at Carnegie Hall. But we were able to bypass that because of Heather.”
Dr. Bahnean can think of several reasons this is a great opportunity for the TMU students he leads.
“It's hard to think of a better opportunity they’ll have to grow as musicians, because this is a brand-new piece,” he said. “We are the first ones to kind of decide for it and put it together. So that's going to make them grow in their musicianship. Two, it's going to give them the opportunity to be good witnesses in New York City. The orchestra is going to be hired. There's going to be other singers there that are going to be present. We don't know their journeys. So that's a great opportunity for them to minister. And just experiencing New York musically is such a great thing. There's so much music tradition there in all genres, but especially in this genre at Carnegie Hall. It's already so exciting and overwhelming to think about it, and I mean the good sense of the word.”
Dr. Bahnean marvels at the sweet providence that not only led the TMU Chorale to this opportunity, but also led him to become part of the music department faculty just a couple of years ago. Before coming to The Master’s University, Dr. Bahnean was chair of the department of fine arts and communication studies at Tennessee Wesleyan University in Athens, Tennessee. He was aware of The Master’s University. He’d heard John MacArthur’s preaching. He had been a believer since growing up in Canada, then studying music at the University of Massachusetts and Louisiana State University. But he never would have imagined moving to Southern California to teach at TMU. But when Dr. Paul Plew retired—the longstanding leader of the music department and the University Singers and Chorale, Dr. Bahnean came across an opening at TMU for a music professor. He applied, but didn’t expect much to come of it. But the university called him and the interview process began.
“I realized pretty quickly I would be filling in for a legend out here,” Dr. Bahnean said, referring to Dr. Plew. “But it’s been incredibly sweet to get to know Dr. Plew. We’ve become friends. I keep him informed of how things are going with University Singers and the Chorale. He has wonderful advice and has built such a wonderful program here at TMU.”
It’s been a joy for Dr. Bahnean to teach at a school that shares his convictions about the Scriptures and the purpose of education.
“The basis of everything here at TMU is, let's do this according to what the Word teaches us in any discipline,” Dr. Bahnean said. “I just love that. And to do it campus-wide and to do it unapologetically and to do it with the premise that all the wisdom, all the intelligence, everything comes from God, and always asking how it applies to your discipline, you can't beat that.”
Dr. Bahnean is particularly grateful to teach at an institution that shares his convictions about the nature of music. Behind the beauty of music is a beautiful creator. Behind the intricate design and creativity of each composition is the ultimate composer.
“We fully understand music is not the end object. You don't celebrate music for music,” Dr. Bahnean said. “You don't make it the most important thing you do, but you make it your actual act of worship to God who created music, allows us to enjoy it, allows us to understand it to some extent and do it to the best of our abilities and then give it back to Him. I think that's the most important. The Psalms command us to praise God. It's not a suggestion, something we should simply think about. No, you do it. So, it's a consistent everyday thing that we do. And that's where we start. That's where I start too. I remind the students all the time that music is a privilege. It's an activity created by God for our enjoyment, but ultimately to honor Him.”
And several students at The Master’s University will now have the opportunity to enjoy the music, to honor God, and to celebrate Him this coming winter on one of the grandest stages in the world, Carnegie Hall.
The Master’s University, the ministry highlighted in this story, is a partner ministry of the John MacArthur Charitable Trust. The Trust supports this ministry, and several others, that share the theological convictions of John MacArthur.
