Latest news with #communitymusic
CBS News
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
VocalEssence Vintage Voices to celebrate 10th anniversary with free concert
Inside Sabathani Community Center in Minneapolis, there's a weekly rehearsal where one voice becomes many. VocalEssence Vintage Voices is nearly 50 members strong, 55 years old and up. "It's basically choir, but we do things slightly differently to make it more accessible," said Robert Graham, conductor of VocalEssence Vintage Voices. They have large print music scores and lyric sheets, and chairs to sit in. Vintage Voices singers from Minneapolis, St. Paul and Plymouth meet for 12 weeks separately, then perform a free concert together. This weekend, their harmonies will celebrate the group's 10th birthday. Ninety-two-year-old Shirlee Callender is one of five original members. "We get to meet new people all the time. It's wonderful because I love the music. I love the songs," Callender said. "It shows that you don't have to stop. You don't have to stop doing anything. Keep moving." "Each of the songs also has an important message that we want to share with the audience, about how very important it is to stay active and engaged in life as you age," Graham said. Graham helped found Vintage Voices. He's seen firsthand how the program benefits the physical and mental health of the singers. "I would love for the audience to know that as we age, we still matter, we still have dignity and purpose," he said. For Callender, the highlight of the program is when the singers come together to perform in the Sabathani Community Center auditorium. "It's kind of tearful. When you look out there and you see your family, it kind of brings tears to you, joyful tears," said Callender. The Vintage Voices 10th Anniversary Celebration will be held at Sabathani Community Center, 310 East 38th St., Minneapolis, on Saturday from 12 to 3 p.m. The choral performance begins at 2 p.m.
The Guardian
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Sebastian Farrall obituary
My friend Sebastian Farrall, who has died aged 32 in a cycling accident, was a gifted conductor and composer. He was also a champion of community music whose vision transformed the musical landscape of Coventry and Warwickshire. Seb had a rare gift for seeing potential in everyone. He believed that choirs and orchestras should be welcoming to all, regardless of ability or background. This conviction shaped his career, which ranged from founding community ensembles to creating digital tools that helped people make music from home during the pandemic. Seb was born in Bristol, the son of Sheila and Paul Farrall. He attended St Mary Redcliffe school and played the drums in a Salvation Army band from a young age. Seb moved to Coventry in 2010 to study music composition at Coventry University. He graduated with first-class honours and the Robert Ramskill composition award, already showing the blend of bold creativity and human warmth that would define his career. In 2014 he and I co-founded Sing It Loud, a vibrant choir based in Leamington Spa, and in 2021 he helped launch the Coventry City of Culture Orchestra, an ensemble open to everyone – from professional musicians to those who had not picked up an instrument in decades. Seb also led numerous choirs across the region, and created a resource hub for singers and musical directors. He had a wonderful sense of humour, an irrepressible creative streak and a deep faith rooted in his membership of the Salvation Army. He often volunteered at the Coventry Winter Night Shelter, and brought the same empathy to his music-making as he did to his faith. Seb had a vast network of friends, singers and fellow musicians whose lives he changed – not only through music, but through love, laughter and the belief that everyone deserves a place in the song. He met Fran Pritchard, a music teacher, pianist and French horn player, online in 2019 but they almost immediately realised they had previously performed at the same concert, when Seb conducted the Warwickshire Symphony Orchestra, which Fran played in. They married in 2022. Seb is survived by Fran and their daughter, Maisy, and by his parents.
