Village Harmony Teen World Music Ensemble to Perform in Champaign IL, at McKinley Presbyterian Church
Village Harmony, the acclaimed Vermont-based teen world music singing ensemble, will be performing at McKinley Presbyterian Church at 7:00pm, August 9th as part of an 11-day concert tour of the Midwest. The group is led by directors Mollie Stone, Emily Miller and Gideon Crevoshay.
LOCATION & TIME DETAILS :
7 p.m., August 9th, McKinley Presbyterian Church, Corner of 5th and John.
Admission is at the door, with a suggested donation of $8 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. For more information, email Heidi Weatherford at h-weatherford@mckinley-church.
The ad-hoc ensemble consists of 21 brilliant teenaged singers ages 12-18 from Chicago and New England who put together their concert program during an intensive week of rehearsal in southwest Michigan earlier this month.Their program highlights the distinctive sounds of world music traditions ranging from American shape-note and Appalachian songs to music from Corsica, Sardinia and Caucasus Georgia, South African dance-songs and Renaissance music from Italy and France.
This is Village Harmony’s second summer tour in the Midwest. Village Harmony is an umbrella organization based in Vermont dedicated to the study and performance of ethnic singing traditions from around the world. Each summer Village Harmony sponsors ten or more ensembles like this one, both in the US and abroad. Each ensemble develops its own unique sound with a different international team of leaders but share common traits: a powerful, unrestrained vocal sound and the visible, vibrant thrill of both singers and audience as they share in a joyous celebration of music.
The three guest leaders of this group bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the program. Director Mollie Stone is a conductor at the Chicago Children’s Choir and the University of Chicago and is one of the country’s leading experts on black South African choral music. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in conducting at Northwestern University. Emily Miller grew up in Chicago in a family of professional folk singers. She tours regularly with the Sweetback Sisters, the Starry Mountain Singers and as a duo with her husband, Jesse Milnes.Gideon Crevoshay is a founding member of the Starry Mountain Singers, Tenores de Aterúe, and Briars of North America. Like Emily, Gideon is a veteran of Village Harmony and has traveled extensively with Village Harmony’s professional touring ensemble, Northern Harmony.
Sample Sounds are available here.
Village Harmony recordings and songbooks will be available for sale at these concerts.
