Rural and Community Art Project Grants

2015 Fiscal Year Funding Amount

$4,415

Fund Source

Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund

Recipient

Itasca Community Chorus

Recipient Type

Non-Profit Business/Entity

Status

Completed

Start Date

February 2015

End Date

June 2015

Activity Type

Grants/Contracts

Counties Affected

Itasca

Aitkin

Project Overview

Rural and Community Art Project Grants

Project Details

Dona Nobis Pacem. To introduce Itasca County music lovers to Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem [Grant Us Peace] and network with other choirs across the nation, Itasca Community Chorus proposes to collaborate with members of the Itasca Orchestra in concert April 2015 in a local auditorium (the Reif Performing Arts Center is closed for renovation). Earlier in the month, some members of the choir (at their own expense) will have traveled to New York City to join other singers from across the country in a Carnegie Hall concert of the same, April 12, 2015. Rehearsals for this concert are scheduled every Tuesday January-April from 6:30-8:30 pm at Zion Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids.

Competitive Grant Making Body

Board Members and Qualifications

Erling Ellison: jewelry designer and creator, speech coach and judge, director of Garrison Art Fair; Ken Bloom: Director of Tweed Museum of Art, University of Minnesota-Duluth; Janeen Carey: vocalist, retired Hibbing Community College librarian and information media specialist; Kate Fitzgerald: Program Director North Shore Music Association, writer; Peter Pestalozzi: furniture maker, wood worker; David Beard: Assistant Professor University of Minnesota-Duluth writing studies; Mark King: actor, theater reviewer, musician; Adam Guggemos: graphic designer, art events promoter; Michelle Ronning: jewelry designer and maker; John Gregor: photographer, art educator, community art advocate; Ann Russ: music performer, community song leader, choir director, workshop leader, past director and founder of North Shore Music Association; Tara Makinen: Executive Director of Itasca Orchestra and Strings, musician; Dana Mattice: Development and Communications Director of The Art Institute Duluth, Shannon Sweeney: stage manager for Duluth Playhouse and former production manager for the Minnesota Ballet; Moira Villiard: visual artist and student of arts and communication at University of Wisconsin-Superior.

Advisory Group Members and Qualifications

Erling Ellison: jewelry designer and creator, speech coach and judge, director of Garrison Art Fair; Ken Bloom: Director of Tweed Museum of Art, University of Minnesota-Duluth; Janeen Carey: vocalist, retired Hibbing Community College librarian and information media specialist; Peter Pestalozzi: furniture maker, wood worker; Mark King: actor, theater reviewer, musician; Adam Guggemos: graphic designer, art events promoter; Michelle Ronning: jewelry designer and maker; John Gregor: photographer, art educator, community art advocate; Ann Russ: music performer, community song leader, choir director, workshop leader, past director and founder of North Shore Music Association; Tara Makinen: Executive Director of Itasca Orchestra and Strings, musician; Dana Mattice: Development and Communications Director of The Art Institute Duluth; Moira Villiard: visual artist and student of arts and communication at University of Wisconsin-Superior.

Project Details: 2015 Fiscal Year

Legal Citation / Subdivision

Laws of Minnesota 2013, Chapter 137, Article 4, Section 2, Subdivision 3

Appropriation Language

ACHF Arts Access ACHF Arts Education ACHF Cultural Heritage

2015 Fiscal Year Funding Amount

$4,415

Other Funds Leveraged

$1,839

Direct expenses

$6,254

Administration costs

Number of full time equivalents funded

Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

Itasca Choral Society strives to make quality music accessible to all. Itasca Choral Society deliberately partners with young musicians to acquaint them with classic repertoire and lifelong performance opportunities. Itasca Community Chorus is experiencing a resurgence of younger adults and seeks to retain these musicians throughout their lifetime. This concert builds toward a stronger alliance with the Itasca Orchestra. Singers will be surveyed regarding their learning experience over the term and the degree of satisfaction. Audience members are informally surveyed and area directors are asked to submit written critiques of the strengths and weaknesses of each concert. String players will be surveyed for suggestions on how to best collaborate with Itasca Community Chorus on a larger work in the near future.

Measurable Outcome(s)

52 singers participated this semester, 12 of whom were new to the chorus. An audience of 162 on a Sunday afternoon for a classical program actually surpasses the last Sunday afternoon classical concert at the Reif Performing Arts Center. The quality of the choral singing and balance has increased measurably as indicated by two choral directors with masters degrees and years of working with choral music. (See attached reviews.)

Description of Funds

Source of Additional Funds

Other, local or private

Recipient Board Members

Bill Schnell, Maria Annoni, Sandy Crowe, Jean Cyronek, Dan Duffy, Carol Morrill, Karen Panasuk, Arlin(Charlie) Talley

Project Manager

Carol

Morrill

Itasca Community Chorus

2901 Hwy 169 S

Grand Rapids

(218) 301-9091