Lebanon Students Learn from Musical Expert
On Monday, March 13, renowned international music figure, Angela Brown, visited Lebanon High School to educate and inspire the Madrigal Singers and Concert Choir about the genre of the musical spiritual.
Ms. Brown made her Metropolitan Opera debut in the title role of Aida and has performed on leading opera and symphonic stages across six different continents. She has served as star emcee (including co-hosting the Indianapolis Symphony Yuletide Celebration three different years), recording artist, podcast host, and program creator. She was also a featured artist on the two-time Grammy Award winning recording of “Ask Your Mama.”
Gwen Schoeff, LHS Director of Choirs shared, “Getting to experience a master level class with an instructor and performer of this caliber was exhilarating and provided resources that we’ll be able to apply to not only this genre of music, but others as we endeavor to become the best musicians that we can be.”
LHS Madrigal Singers and Concert Choir are working hard to prepare for their upcoming ISSMA Organizational Contest and Ms. Brown was exactly what they needed to ignite some inspiration and excitement. During her visit, Angela spoke about the history of the spiritual and its significance in our American history. She provided a master level class, providing feedback, vocal examples, instruction, and worked with the class through the entirety of their piece.
“Ms. Brown was extremely impactful for our singers as we prepare for this musical piece. She brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and expertise in performance and gave us valuable tools to use to make our performance of this genre as stylistically accurate and authentic as possible,” said Schoeff.
Watch the LHS Madrigal Singers and Concert Choir as they perform at Lafayette Jefferson High School on Saturday, April 15. Performance time is TBD.