Founded in 2012, the 50-voice intergenerational women’s chorus, Belle Voci, has been using choral performances as a means for social good by supporting causes that primarily benefit women.  The community-based ensemble includes “college students, recent graduates, mothers, grandmothers, three sets of sisters, eight ladies with... read more

When Mimi Bornstein invited singers to participate in a performance of Paul Winter’s Missa Gaia in celebration of Earth Day in 2005, she was shocked that more than 130 singers showed up to sing.  The concert attracted an audience of 800 and raised $10,000 for the Tanglewood 4-H Camp.  Ms. Bornstein’s vision to “harness t... read more

Named after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pittsburg, Kansas (population approx. 20,000) was settled in 1876 near the border of Missouri.  The city’s primary employer was Pittsburg & Midway Company, a coal mining company created in 1879 that attracted Southern and Eastern European mine workers in the late 19th century.  It... read more

The city of Appleton, situated on the Fox River in Northeast Wisconsin, was settled in 1847 and boasts the nation’s first hydro-electric central station built in 1882.  It is in the Fox Valley that newVoices is charting new territory in the world of choral singing.  Under the direction of Dr. Phill... read more

  Montana is ranked 4th in size and 48th in population density out of the 50 states, and Missoula, with a metro area population of 115,000, is the second largest municipality in the state.  It is in this town where 5 mountain ranges converge that the Missoula Community Chorus was founded in 2001 by Jon and Robbin Rose... read more

About Kent Tritle   When Jason Asbury asked if I would like to contribute to this blog about unique community choruses, I enthusiastically said YES and my very first thought was of the Lighthouse Guild Vocal Ensemble. I had just completed a master class with this 25 voice ensemble on February 22nd, , 2017 and the two hours I spent with ... read more

African-American choral music grew out of the oral tradition of spirituals that was created by African slaves.  These songs, influenced by Christianity and rooted in African culture, expressed the hardship and hope of African slaves in the United States.  This distinct genre was the antecedent to shouts, the blues, gospel music and other ... read more

From www.communitiesinharmony.com   Greenville, Mississippi (Washington County seat with population 34,000) lies in the Mississippi Delta, a 7,000 square mile alluvial floodplain located between the Mississippi and the Yazoo Rivers.  The city is home to Nelson Street, “once the epicenter of African American business... read more

More about Steven Coburn.   New York City has always been central to the labor movement in America, from the early protests and safety reforms resulting from the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911, to the recent activism resulting in increased minimum wage and guaranteed paid sick leave passed into law in 2016. So with one of th... read more

The Ambassadors of Harmony®, a 130 member men’s a cappella chorus, is making a transformative investment in the broader St. Louis community.  While the group has won dozens of national competitions and performed for audiences internationally, their commitment to enriching the lives of their local audiences and to cultivating an appre... read more