Singing workshops will culminate with a group performance in new Center for the Arts
The Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech invites everyone who loves to sing, regardless of experience or skill level, to a series of community-based singing events in preparation for a special celebratory performance in the center’s new facility when it opens this fall.
The center is sponsoring a residency with visiting artist Elise Witt, a singer, composer, recording artist, educator, and community activist from Atlanta, Ga., who will bring her group singing workshops, called “An Impromptu Glorious Chorus,” to Blacksburg in September. Witt leads these sessions with a friendly and open teaching style that draws from her love of diverse melodies and rhythms.
Watch as Witt leads a group of participants from a workshop in June to the Blacksburg Farmer’s Market for an impromptu performance:
One goal of the workshops, which are designed for voices of all abilities, styles, and experience, is to prepare participants for a group performance celebrating the opening of the Center for the Arts during the center’s Community Open House on Sunday, Nov. 3, from noon to 2:30 p.m. The singing sessions are also part of an ongoing series of workshop and residency activities the center is sponsoring to foster the growth of community singing in the region.
Witt will also headline local performances during her visit. She will present “A Concert of Global, Local & Homemade Songs,” which features an eclectic menu of musical offerings, including gypsy jazz, cabaret selections, swing music, and a cappella pieces.
Workshop and performance schedule
Performance, Friday, Sept. 13
- Blacksburg Public Library, Community Room
- 7-9 p.m.
- For all ages.
- Free; registration required. To register, call 540-231-0843 or email Sara Bailey.
Workshop, Saturday, Sept. 14
- Torgersen Museum, 1100 Torgersen Hall, 620 Drillfield Dr.
- 10 a.m.-noon
- For ages 12 and older. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.
- After the session, participants will show off their voices during a group performance at the Blacksburg Farmer’s Market.
- Free; registration required. To register, call 540-231-0843 or email Sara Bailey.
Performance, Saturday, Sept. 14
- Draper Mercantile, Pulaski, Va.
- 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.)
- For all ages.
- Admission is $5. Call 540-994-5659 to purchase tickets.
Workshop, Sunday, Sept. 15
- Torgersen Museum, 1100 Torgersen Hall, 620 Drillfield Dr.
- 1-3 p.m.
- For ages 12 and older. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.
- Free; registration required. To register, call 540-231-0843 or email Sara Bailey.
Witt’s residency activities are presented in partnership with Virginia Tech’s School of Performing Arts and Cinema and the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, under the leadership of project curator Ann Kilkelly, professor of theatre and women’s studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.
