The Chorale's Bridges series, begun in 1994 to build musical and social bridges to diverse populations, has been acclaimed as a national model for community engagement programs. Bridges is a series of musical initiatives that harness the richness and diversity of the global choral repertoire to engage cultural communities and raise awareness of pressing social needs.
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Each year, the Chorale identifies key program collaborators, whether a community, an organization, an artist, or some combination of these. It then identifies appropriate occasions and venues, locates or commissions suitable repertoire, and tailors a range of outreach, education, and performance activities to accomplish the goals of the program.The cumulative results of three decades of Bridges programs include a widening of the audience for choral music in the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota, and a web of organizational and individual connections centered on music but reaching far beyond it.
Bridges: Expanding the Canon is a series of concerts designed to reimagine the canon of choral music: guest conductors of color will lead singers from the Minnesota Chorale and Border CrosSing in works by composers whose music has historically been underrepresented on the concert stage.
In 2024-25, Bridges: Expanding the Canon with guest conductor, Dr. Shekela Wanyama, brought us WaterSongs : The Ripple Effect.
Water is an endangered resource, even in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Join community artists, elders, and culture bearers for an intergenerational exchange of music and ideas about how we can care for one of our most precious resources. The concert includes the regional premiere of Reena Esmail’s Malhaar: Requiem for Water, a work for Hindustani vocalist, tabla, Western classical percussion, and chorus. Featuring Pooja Goswami Pavan, A. Pavan, Eri Isomura, Indigenous elder Sharon Day, the Ikidowin Youth Theater Ensemble, students from Minneapolis South High School, Border Crossing, and the Minnesota Chorale.