North Dakota State University Concert Choir

As part of their spring tour, the North Dakota State University Concert Choir will be performing in Minneapolis. Directed by Dr. Jo Ann Miller, they are a truly stellar group. Here are the details:

North Dakota State University Concert Choir
Directed by Dr. Jo Ann Miller
Thursday March 12
7:30 p.m.

First Christian Church
2201 First Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN

Building a Vocal Community with Ysaye Barnwell March 7

Ysaye Barnwell is one of the founding members of the vocal group "Sweet Honey in the Rock". You can get a better idea of what she has to offer by checking out her myspace page at WWW.MYSPACE.COM/YSAYEMBARNWELL. This workshop that she is giving will be fantastic. Come prepared to sing!

Details:

Saturday March 7 from 10:30 - 12:00

Minneapolis Community and Technical College

T Building Plaza Level

Free and open to the public

I strongly encourage each and every one of you to go to this event. Here is a link the flyer for you to download and share with friends.

http://files.me.com/empauly/37ogxj

Minnesota Orchestra presents "Mass" by Leonard Bernstein

This coming Thursday and Friday evening, the Minnesota Chorale will join the Minnesota Orchestra in performances of Leonard Bernstein's "Mass". This is a cool piece, and is not frequently performed in its entirety. Student rush tickets may be available on Thursday evening. Highly recommended: there are moments of intense beauty and high drama. Music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Wicked) with an interesting contribution by Paul Simon. Click here for more information.

I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to sing this piece again. 

InChoir - Another chance to Sing Messiah for Free

Minnesota Chorale has a wonderful program called "InChoir" where people can come and sing along during specific rehearsals. The next event, December 15, is one of our Messiah rehearsals. It is free, and a wonderful chance to sing the work. For more information, click here. 

Messiah Sing-along

Central Lutheran Church will be presenting a free Messiah Sing-along on December 21, featuring the Minnesota Chorale and Minnesota Orchestra. This will be a really fun event. Because it is free, it will likely fill up quickly, so I recommend arriving early. For more details, click here.

If you would rather listen to a live concert, the Minnesota Chorale will join with the Minnesota Orchestra for three performances - December 10, 11 and 14 at the Basilica of St. Mary, the Cathedral of St. Paul, and Orchestra Hall respectively. For tickets and more information, click here.

Brian Eno on the value of collective singing

This essay called "Singing: The Key to a Long Life" is a wonderful testament to the power of singing with others. I loved this article. Here is the link: "Singing: The Key to a Long Life"

Minnesota Chorale Presents Bridges: Ashes into Light

Ashes Into Light

Saturday, October 11, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.

The O'Shaughnessy at the College of St. Catherine

St. Paul, Minnesota

Minnesota Chorale

Kathy Saltzman Romey, Conductor

Allegro Choral Academy, Bel Canto Choir

Gregory Douma, Conductor

Gaia Philharmonic Choir and Yokohama Chamber Choir "Kai"

Ko Matsushita, Conductor

Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra

William Schrickel, Conductor

Minneapolis Youth Chorus

Patrice Arasim, Conductor

Mu Daiko

Rick Shiomi, Director

This October, the Chorale and partnering artists, all under the direction of Kathy Saltzman Romey, will present the world premiere of Ah Nagasaki in St. Paul, which since 1955 has maintained an active sister-city relationship with Nagasaki (the first of its kind in the United States). Joining the Chorale will be the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, the Chorale's own Minneapolis Youth Chorus and the Bel Canto choir of the Allegro Choral Academy, taiko (traditional Japanese) drummers from Mu Daiko, and vocal soloists. Members of the Gaia Philharmonic Choir and Yokohama Chamber Choir "Kai" and their conductor, Ko Matsushita, will travel from Japan to take part in both the performance and the educational programs surrounding the event.

The performance and education programs are presented by The O'Shaughnessy and planet Ordway as part of their 2008-09 series, and will be held at The O'Shaughnessy at the College of St. Catherine. In addition to the premiere performance of Ah Nagasaki, the concert will feature individual presentations by each of the participating ensembles.

Sub-titled “Ashes into Light,” the centerpiece of the program is a three-movement, half-hour cantata for chorus, vocal soloists, and orchestra by the American composer Robert Kyr. The work was commissioned by the Nagasaki Peace Museum to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city; the text, in both Japanese and English, is a collaboration between Mr. Kyr and the Japanese writer Kazuaki Tanahashi. The musical forces called for are large: four soloists (soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone), boy and girl soprano, mixed (adult) choirs, children's choirs, chanter, and orchestra (with a percussion section that includes Japanese taiko drums as well as Western instruments). This visionary work is a journey from the profound tragedy of nuclear annihilation to reconciliation and 'waging peace' as a means of freeing the world from weapons of mass destruction.Images created by artist Kazuaki Tanahashi, librettist for "Ah Nagasaki." Interested in reading more about choral singing and community engagement? Click here for Shekela Wanyama's thoughtful and provocative paper on the subject. Click here to learn more about past Bridges programs