Collaborative Arts: Voice & Piano

Special guests Stacie Haneline, piano; Caroline Helton, soprano; Jamie Reimer, soprano; and Emery Stephens, baritone, partner with Shenandoah Conservatory voice and piano faculty to explore the collaborative relationship between pianist and vocalist while powerfully tracing the development of African American Art Songs and Spirituals through some of its greatest composers.

Program highlights include works by H.T. Burleigh, Margaret Bonds, Duke Ellington and more, as well as Professor of Voice Byron Jones’s newly commissioned piece Undoing Poems by Andre Myers featuring text by Nina Evans, Andre Myers and Maya Angelou. The piece is composed of three short duets and recently premiered in California at the Fires of Justice concert presented by the African American Art Song Alliance 25th Anniversary Conference at the University of California, Irvine in October 2022.

Digital Program

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Shenandoah Conservatory uses digital programs for all performances. In addition to their engaging and accessible design, digital programs are cost effective, environmentally friendly and enable us to create and update our programs more efficiently, which means we can focus our resources on the performances you love! View our digital programs by clicking the button above, scanning the QR code in our venue or texting PROGRAM to (540) 307-2336 at the performance. [Note: Digital programs are best viewed on your mobile or tablet device.]

Lean In & Engage

A Unique Collaboration

This concert is the kick-off to a three-day residency devoted to art song and spiritual arrangements by African American composers. In addition to welcoming four guest scholars from Michigan, Nebraska and Iowa, Shenandoah Conservatory will have eight of its own voice and piano faculty collaborating on this concert.

About the Collaborative Arts: Voice & Piano Residency

The Collaborative Arts: Voice & Piano residency at Shenandoah Conservatory began in 2016. Each residency features a singer/pianist pair who works with voice and piano students in masterclass settings and has happened each year (except for the 2020/21 season).

The mission behind this event is to highlight the importance of the collaborative relationship between singer and pianist. Shenandoah Conservatory faculty pick an area of the repertoire as a focus each year. This season, we are “completing the canon” by delving into repertoire by Black composers. This also marks the beginning of Black History Month.

– Byron Jones, voice faculty member

Q: What are students learning or experiencing through this process?

“Our students not only hone their skills, but are exposed to new repertoire through both performing and observing.”

– Byron Jones, voice faculty member

Q: What excites you about working on this project/program?

“This project has been especially dear to me since its inception in 2016. Nothing is more central to a singer’s career than the strong bonds we make with our pianist collaborators. It is so important for our students to realize this.”

– Byron Jones, voice faculty member

ACCESSIBILITY

Accommodations for disabilities may be arranged by contacting the Box Office at least three days prior to the performance.

Photos by C King Media