Watch each discussion LIVE on the Mendelssohn’s Facebook page OR YouTube channel.

Add a new activity to your quarantine life with this exciting summer collaboration between the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh (MCP) and the Oratorio Society of Minnesota (OSM), and join us for some Candid Conversations! Each week, Matthew Mehaffey, Music Director of both MCP and OSM, and rising stars in the choral world will host an interactive online discussion centered around a trending topic in choral music. Everyone is invited to participate by reviewing the reading and listening materials beforehand (optional), and submitting your questions during the live chat.

Warm up your voices before each discussion with a 20-minute vocal coaching session! A professional singer will lead participants through a complete vocal warm-up, followed by a short Q&A about vocal technique and at-home practice habits. Not a singer?  No problem! Only our vocal coach will be on camera and audio, so even if you’re a shy singer, feel free to let your voice soar!

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

July 8: Candid Conversations: Series Overview
Discussion led by Matthew Mehaffey, Music Director – The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh and The Oratorio Society of Minnesota
Vocal coaching by Jamie Chamberlin, soprano – Satan’s Fall – Feb. 2020 World Premiere w/MCP, LA Opera, Long Beach Opera, UCLA School of Music

July 15: Interrogating the Tradition: Upholding Whiteness in Choral Music
Discussion led by Tesfa Wondemagegnehu, Assistant Professor St. Olaf College (MN)
Vocal Coaching by Kiera Duffy – Opera Singer, Professor of Music, University of  Notre Dame (IN)

July 22: Latin American Choral Music
Discussion led by Ahmed Anzaldúa, founder of Border CrosSing
Vocal coaching by Elisabeth Stevens, soprano – Let My People Go – Feb. 2019 w/MCP, Opera Singer, Founder of StudioLis NYC, author of Perfect Practice: A Journal for Singers

July 29: Telling the Stories of Women Through Choral Performance
Discussion led by Jocelyn Hagen, composer/arranger
Vocal Coaching by Nathan Granner, tenor – Satan’s Fall – Feb. 2020 World Premiere w/MCP, Long Beach Opera

August 5: It Is Enough: Mendelssohn’s personal connection to his most famous protagonist, Elijah
Discussion led by Matthew Mehaffey, Music Director – The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh and The Oratorio Society of Minnesota
Vocal Coaching by Victoria Vargas, mezzo-soprano  – MN Opera and University of Minnesota