When:  Friday, February 18, 2011

Time:  7:00pm – 9:15pm

Where: St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 1510 E. 7^th Street, Charlotte

Cost:  Free!

Workshop description

Are you a woman singing in a mixed ensemble? Singing in an all-women’s ensemble? Just want to know more about what’s happening in women’s choral music? Want to know how to improve the singing of the women in your ensemble?

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte is delighted to host clinician Sue Coffee, who has a well-deserved reputation as a guiding star among American conductors of women’s choruses. Her innovative programming and approach to singing consistently yield ensembles which are simply electrifying in performance. Sue’s current ensembles include:

• Sound Circle (www.soundcirclesings.org). This 16-voice a cappella ensemble is committed to the creation of new music that is relevant, musically innovative, and of the highest quality, Sound Circle has commissioned and performed many new works, developed percussion/improvisation/movement pieces, and created new arrangements of many works. Sound Circle is the subject of two documentary films, and the group has influenced women’s choral singing across the country.

• Resonance (www.resonancechorus.org). Founded in 2002 with the intention of creating an opportunity for women to sing together, and based on the premise that there can never be too much singing, Resonance Women's Chorus of Boulder is a 100+ voice chorus singing contemporary women's choral music. With an emphasis on songs of social awareness, Resonance is a collective voice of women's strength, wisdom, and beauty. 

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte

Through artistic achievement, education, and engagement, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte endeavors to create a society which values and respects its lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender members.  We value collaboration and seek to build bridges of community among the LGBT and straight communities.  

Sue Coffee

Sue Coffee is the founding Artistic Director of Sound Circle, a women's a cappella ensemble (1994), and founding Artistic Director of the 125-voice Resonance Women's Chorus of Boulder (2002). She directed the Denver Gay Men's Chorus from 1999-2005.

With Sound Circle and the Denver Gay Men's Chorus, she has performed and collaborated with other choruses across the country; her ensembles are known for their supportive collaboration with composers, performers, and other organizations locally.

Recent artistic projects have included Sound Circle: On Bodies…, a performance piece about bodies and body image, Path of Beauty: Singing the Grand Canyon with Sound Circle and photographer Christopher Brown, and performances of Jennifer Berezan’s Praises for the World.

She received the 2004 GALA Choruses Legacy Award for service to the gay and lesbian choral movement. She has served GALA Choruses on the Board of Directors and numerous planning and advisory committees, and has presented workshops at GALA Choruses events on topics including long-range artistic planning, mission and relevance, and musical excellence. In Colorado, Sue has received the PFLAG Community Service Award and the Daily Camera Pacesetter Award for Arts and Entertainment.