WESTMINSTER WEST-The River Singers Community Chorus, led by Mary Cay Brass, will start their winter/spring session on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at the Westminster West Church. The River Singers, in their 34th year, is a multi-generational community choir dedicated to singing "soulful, thrilling music from many lands," according to their news release.
The River Singers serve up a cornucopia of songs of hope, peace, love, and social justice. This session will feature dance songs from Macedonia, work songs from the Republic of Georgia, a spiritual song in Arabic, a South African song/dance, and more. The choir is especially excited to perform the brilliant and timely "Hope Lingers On," by local musician Lissa Schneckenburger.
Every spring, the choir invites guest teachers from various world traditions to work with and perform with the choir. This spring's special guest teacher is the dynamic Kathy Bullock, who holds a doctorate in music theory from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. She is a master teacher, singer, and pianist of music in the African American tradition.
Bullock is a workshop clinician, performer, choral conductor, arranger, and scholar of African American music. A professor emerita of music from Berea College, she has recently served as visiting professor and artist-in-residence at various colleges and universities in the U.S. Bullock currently tours throughout the U.S., the U.K., and West Africa "sharing the joy" of gospel, spirituals, freedom songs, and West African praise songs while completing research on various topics of Black Music and Black vocal styles.
The River Singers is a non-audition choir and welcomes teens to elders. The singing is "uplifting, moving, and invigorating." As one singer comments, "Every week we limp in and leap out!"
Tuition for the session is $145. To register, contact Brass at [email protected] and for more information, visit marycaybrass.com.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.