Kellogg Community College and the Community Music School, a program of The Music Center, will present a daylong celebration of the vocal arts with VoiceFest in February.
The event, which will include concerts, participatory workshops and a Communitywide Hymn Sing, will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, at KCC’s newly renovated Davidson Visual and Performing Arts Center. The event schedule is as follows:
- 11 a.m. Performances from featured artists Dr. Carl Ratner, voice professor at Western Michigan University, and Dr. Lara Troyer, voice faculty member at Kent State University, with additional performances by Dr. Gerald Blanchard, Vocal Arts director at KCC; Carmen Bell, voice faculty at KCC; Alexis Stark, voice faculty at the CMS; and Justin Budzynski, CMS faculty. During the opening recital each featured artist will perform a duet with Blanchard, with CMS Director and pianist Nancy Brown accompanying. Ratner and Blanchard will sing “The Lord is a Man of War” from the oratorio “Israel in Egypt,” by G.F. Handel; Troyer and Blanchard will sing “La ci darem la mano” from the opera “Don Giovanni,” by W.A. Mozart.
- Following the opening recital performances, voice workshops led by KCC and CMS voice faculty will be offered for singers or individuals interested in learning how to sing.
- 4:15 p.m. A Communitywide Hymn Sing will be held in the Davidson Auditorium, during which Blanchard will lead the audience in singing traditional Christian hymns across a variety of denominations. Brown and KCC faculty pianist Kathy Cary will accompany on two grand pianos. Hymnals with lyrics and music will be provided by First Congregational and First Presbyterian churches in Battle Creek.
- 7:30 p.m. Concert presentation by the Formosa Trio, including flutist Pei-San Chiu, violist Tzu-Ying Wu and harpist Chen-Yu Huang.
Blanchard said VoiceFest is the perfect event for individuals who attend and enjoy concerts but rarely have the opportunity to participate in the musical process.
“We invite everyone, regardless of past musical experience, to come to VoiceFest and try things out,” Blanchard said. “You can come in, experience it, love it, and then move forward by taking a class or lessons here at KCC or the Community Music School.”
CMS Director Brown said this will be the second VoiceFest event the two organizations have partnered on over the past few years, and that this one will be “of even wider scope and opportunity” than the first, for singers of any age.
“From concerts and workshops on topics including audition techniques and beatboxing, to the Communitywide Hymn Sing, the day will be filled with learning and fun,” Brown said.
Registration for VoiceFest is $10 and may be completed in advance or onsite on the day of the event. Partial registration for those who only want to attend a part or parts of the event also is available.
For more information or to register for VoiceFest, call 269-963-1911 ext 2585 or visit www.yourmusiccenter.org/cms/voicefest.php.
Music Week at KCC
VoiceFest coincides with Music Week at KCC, a weeklong celebration of all things music that will run from Feb. 6 through 14 at the College’s Davidson Center. Music Week at KCC is open to the public and will include special events and opportunities for the public to attend and enjoy select music classes for free.
For more information about Music Week at KCC – including a full schedule of events and classes that will be open to the public – or to register for all or some Music Week events, visit www.kellogg.edu/performart.
For more news about Kellogg Community College, view our latest press releases online at https://daily.kellogg.edu/category/news-releases.