Bridges - Current Project
• Sing On!
 
Bridges - Past Projects
• Sing With Me
• Ashes Into Light
• African Voices
• Sing Me A Home
• Flour Power
• Bridges10
• Musical Chi
• Adventures of the Black Dot (revised)
• North Meets South
• Adventures of the Black Dot (Premiere)
• International Bridges
• Music & Meditations
• God's Trombones
• The Many Faces of Women
• Lift Every Voice
• Winona Choral Festival and Concert
• Service of Remembrance and Peace
• Earth Day Family Concert
• A Russian Night

2007:
Sing Me A Home: the Concert

Saturday, May 19, 2007 St. Olaf Catholic Church, Minneapolis Sing Me a Home, the Chorale's Bridges outreach program for 2007, was a landmark collaboration with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity (TCHFH), using music to explore the idea of “home” and to deepen awareness of issues relating to affordable housing and poverty.
 
Four high school choirs joined the Chorale, led by Kathy Saltzman Romey, in songs drawn from the many cultures represented by TCHFH homeowners (African American, Caribbean, East African, Southeast Asian, and others). Newly commissioned choral settings, based on TCHFH families' stories with texts written by area high school students, were complemented by projected photographs. Together, the music, words, and images made vivid the vital work in which Habitat is engaged and embodied the Chorale's belief in song as a force for social good.

>> Click here for MPR's featured "Sing Me a Home" story.

>> download music from Abbie Betinis' "Journey Home"
>> download music from David Evan Thomas' "Here We Can Dream"
>> download music from Janika Vandervelde's "Sing Me a Home"

Bill Banfield	Abbie Betinis	Jerry Rubino
David Evan Thomas	Janika Vandervelde

Heid E. Erdrich served as mentor to the student writers who created the texts for the compositions that were premiered during the 2007 Bridges concert. She also wrote the text for Janika Vandervelde's composition, which concluded the concert.
 
Ms. Erdrich's poetry collections are National Monuments, forthcoming from Michigan State University Press, The Mother's Tongue from Salt Publishing, and Fishing for Myth from New Rivers Press. She also co-edited Sister Nations: Native American Women Writers on Community from Minnesota Historical Society Press. Her awards include a Minnesota State Arts Board fellowship and Mentor of the Year, Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers. A member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibway, she was raised in Wahpeton, North Dakota. Her degrees are from Dartmouth College and The Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars. Heid has taught writing for 20 years including five years leading the annual Turtle Mountain Writers Workshop on her home reservation in North Dakota. She recently became curator of Ancient Traders Native Art Gallery in Minneapolis.
>> Click here to download the text of "Call It Home"

Anne Goetz: "I am a senior at St. Paul Central High School, where I play violin with the orchestra and am the captain of the Nordic ski team. I have had several of my poems published in Verbal Promiscuity, the school literary magazine, and am currently its editor-in-chief. I will attend Harvard College in the fall."
>> Click here to download the text of "Here We Can Dream"

Erik Halvorson: "I am currently a senior at Como Park High School in St. Paul. I am captain of the school swim team, participate in theater productions, help run the Como Park National Honor Society chapter, and, in my spare time, volunteer at the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. I enjoys camping, hiking, and generally being outdoors. I have never before done a project like this; I have loved the experience and wants to thank everyone who made it possible."
>> Click here to download the text of "Journey Home"

Amelia Hanson: "I am a junior at South High School, Minneapolis, where I spend much of my time working in the theater program. I have directed, assisted, written, and acted in many plays. I enjoy writing a great deal, and though my forte is playwriting I was delighted to participate in this project. Other work I will be showcasing soon is South's production of Proof by David Auburn, which I am assistant directing, and, in this year's Fringe Festival, a show titled Fresh Snow, written and directed by myself."
>> Click here to download Amelia Hanson's text

Joua Lee: "I am a senior at Patrick Henry High School, Minneapolis, where I am involved in organizations such as the Asian Cultural Club, Drama Club, and the National Honor Society. I like to write poetry, perform spoken word, and play soccer. In my free time, I like to hang out with my friends."
>> Click here to download Joua Lee's text

Andrew Thomas: "I am currently a junior at Patrick Henry High School, Minneapolis. I rap, but I do not necessarily call myself a rapper. I have recently released my first rap/poetry album, entitled "Life music: Volume ONE," under the artist name Phonetic ONE. I have lived all my life in South Minneapolis. I have seen the ups and downs of this city, from the nicest houses in Uptown to crack-infested apartments. Living in these diverse conditions has allowed what and how I write to be very diverse."
>> Click here to download the text of "Joy Always Joy"