Today’s conversation is fueled by the belief that choral singing is a microcosm for how we all ought to be in society. The conversation emphasizes the transformative power of choral music and its role in fostering community and shared human experiences.
Dr. Andrew Minear, artistic and executive director of Orlando Sings, and Hilary Brown, a singer from the Solaria ensemble, discuss their upcoming annual Solaria Solstice performance. The event, featuring a blend of ancient and contemporary music, includes a world premiere of "Northern Winter Songs" by Moira Smiley.
The program explores themes of light, darkness, and human resilience, with a special feature on Beethoven's struggle with hearing loss and is a journey into the darkness only to be lifted into the light through this intentional artistic programming.
Tickets are available at Orlando Sings, [Use Discount Code: RESOUNDVIP to get 10% off single concert tickets].
About Dr. Andrew Minear
With appearances across the United States, Dr. Andrew Minear is an active conductor, music educator, and choir leader. He is the founding Artistic and Executive Director of Orlando Sings (orlandosings.org) where he conducts the Orlando Sings Symphonic Chorus and the professional vocal ensemble Solaria.
Minear also serves as Director of Music Ministry at All Saints Episcopal Church of Winter Park. Recent or upcoming engagements include the National Concert Chorus at Carnegie Hall, the National Youth Chorus at Carnegie Hall, the American Choral Directors Association Southern Region SSAA Honor Choir, Music and Worship Arts weeks in Lake Junaluska and Montreat, and ten all-state choirs.
Before it was canceled due to the pandemic, Minear was one of only 40 choral leaders in the world selected to present at the 12th World Symposium on Choral Music in Auckland, New Zealand. Dr. Minear’s passion for expressive music-making has been cultivated through over two decades of experience in children’s, church, community, middle school, high school, university, and professional choral settings.
About Hillary Brown
Hillary Brown is an alumna of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana (MM Vocal Performance, magna cum laude) and Stetson University (BM Vocal Performance, magna cum laude). Her study of opera and voice, along with a flair for bringing distinctive characters to life, has resulted in being cast in a wide variety of dramatic and quirky roles, including Lady Billows (Albert Herring), The Housekeeper (Man of La Mancha), Countess Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Dinah (Trouble in Tahiti), First Lady (Die Zauberflöte), and Donna Anna (Don Giovanni). Ms. Brown also performed the role of Isabela in the world premiere revised edition of La Hija de Rappaccini by Daniel Catán. Her stylistic adaptability and vocal beauty have earned Ms. Brown not only a place in operatic repertoire, but in recital repertoire as well. Most recently, she has sung Mirjam’s Siegesgesang (Schubert), Missa in Angustiis (Haydn), Sieben Frühe Lieder (Berg), and Requiem (Duruflé).
Ms. Brown is an inaugural member of Orlando Sings Symphonic Chorus and its chamber choir, Solaria Singers, and is also a member of the Festival Singers of Florida under the direction of Dr. Kevin Fenton. Since returning to Florida in 2015, Ms. Brown has held adjunct voice faculty positions at Dr. Phillips High School and Edgewater High School in Orlando.
Copyright © 2024 Orlando Sings | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
Share this post