University Singers hit the road, building bridges of song with northern Minnesota

The University Singers are taking their songs on the road April 23-25, visiting high schools in Duluth, Hibbing and Pine City to share their music and to, they hope, entice some young singers to consider the University of Minnesota as an option for college.

Now in its third year, the Greater Minnesota tour provides the participants of the U's flagship choir to get to know each other better, while high school students take part in workshops and master classes and hear how their voices might grow.

Run by Kathy Saltzman Romey, the director of choral activities at the University of Minnesota and artistic director of the Minnesota Chorale — as well as associate professor of choral music Matthew Mehaffey — the University Singers is an audition-based choir made up of undergraduate and graduate students both from within the School of Music and from other majors. The choir's repertoire includes a wide variety of literature, from 21st century contemporary works to pieces dating back to the Renaissance, including Western and global composers.

Mehaffey says the tour came about when an anonymous donor came forward to offer money for the University Singers to take their music to outstate Minnesota. The first year, they drove up to Brainerd, hitting high schools along the way. Then last year they took two trips, first to the Albert Lea area, as well as Rochester and Redwing and then to St. Cloud. This year, the choir travels up I-35 to Duluth, then will continue on to Hibbing. The tour will include a concert in collaboration with the College of St. Scholastica for one intercollegiate performance. That free public concert takes place on Friday, April 24 at First Lutheran Church in Duluth.

Part of the goal is to engage with local high schools. At each of multiple schools, the choir both perform and then listen to the high school choirs sing as well. Mehaffey and Saltzman Romey, as well as other members of the voice faculty also teach private solo classes and master classes.

"One of the main things is getting out and meeting the teachers," Mehaffey says. When those teachers have students that are looking to study music, Mehaffey says the tour is aimed at building that trust, so that teachers and students will see the University of Minnesota as a future option.

As for the University Singers members, "our students have been really energized about it," Mehaffey says. "Many of them have had similar experiences in high school. They remember the impact it had on them."

Lauren DeZelar, a junior who has been on the tour for the past two years, says she's enjoyed having time to hang out and get to know the high schoolers and answer any questions they might have about college.

She also likes that it's been a great chance to develop relationships with the other people in the University Singers. "Everyone gets a chance to know each other better, which makes the music more fun and makes it easier," she says. Developing that trust and connection with the other singers helps because "music isn't just about making notes," she says. "it's a full human experience."

As a choir, she says the University Singers stand out from other choirs because they often do non-typical projects. For example, they recently performed in a library music based on the words of a poet who also gave a talk. They work a lot with new composers and take part in unusual events. "It's interesting to be a part of it," she says. "It stands out from doing a set list of songs in a concert."

Sheila Regan is a Minneapolis-based writer. She writes frequently for the Twin Cities Daily Planet and City Pages, among other publications.

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