SPRING! And UM-Flint Fills the Air with Beautiful Music

Like the arrival of spring Robins, many music lovers look forward to the Annual Vocal Arts Festival at the University of Michigan-Flint. The spring festival is a highlight of the Department of Music and is an opportunity to showcase the talents of the vocal ensembles, which consist of both music and non-music majors.

This year's Festival will feature two events:

• Vocal Arts Recital on Thursday, March 26, 7:30 p.m., in 164 French Hall
• Vocal Arts Festival Concert, April 5, 4:00pm at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, $5

Recital: Vocal music students from area high schools are invited to perform in a recital of solos with selected UM-Flint music students. The recital features high schools from Flushing, Grand Blanc, Kearsley, Swartz Creek, Carman-Ainsworth, Lapeer East and West. Also included are a variety of presentations by select UM-Flint students. The recital is free and open to the public, and it features a total of 32 students.

Festival Concert: The theme of this concert is "In Need of Music," a title taken from a work that will be performed. Significant in this concert is the selection of music from the Renaissance, Classical, Romantic, and modern periods of music history. From Hans Leo Hassler to Pete Seeger, the pieces performed hold deep meaning for both performers and the audience. The concert features a total of 45 performers, including a string ensemble in authentic period performances of the music. The concert features University Chorale, Chamber Singers, and each member of the voice faculty – Julie Anne Carr, Delena Ollila, Michael Hanawalt, and Frank Pitts. This concert will be a tour de force of students and faculty and a presentation of choral literature of great value and meaning. The University and the Flint community will be offered an hour of artistic music making.

The Festival is the culmination of the winter semester's work for the UM-Flint vocal ensembles, and in addition, it provides unique opportunities for talented junior and senior high school musicians to participate in intensive performance programs designed to develop their skills and heighten their enjoyment of and appreciation for the art of music.