4/24/21 Choir of the North Spring Concert
Join us on Saturday, April 24, 2021 at 7:30 pm for an evening of choral music performed by the Choir of the North, under the direction of Dr. Jaunelle Celaire. The event will be livestreamed on the UAF Department of Music Facebook page. The concert will take place in the Davis Concert Hall.
The Choir of the North is composed of approximately forty to fifty voices selected by audition from the University of Alaska Fairbanks student body. Organized in 1957, it is one of the longest standing choral organizations in the state of Alaska. The primary mission of the Choir of the North is to provide a musical training ground for those students preparing to become professional musicians and music educators, many of whom will stay and teach in the Alaska public school systems. For students with other majors, the Choir provides an outlet for their musical abilities while they pursue their major areas of study. The Choir of the North performs a wide variety of choral music. Included in its repertoire have been such standard works as Bach's cantatas and motets, Brahms' Zigeunerlieder, Britten's A Ceremony of Carols, the requiems of Mozart, Durufle and Faure, Byrd's Mass for Five Voices, and newer works such as Rutter's Gloria and the unusual The Unicorn, the Gorgon, and the Manticore by Menotti. Russian choral music has long been a staple of the choir's repertoire.
Recently performed works include Rachmaninoff's All Night Vigil (Vespers) and a scene from Rimsky-Korsakov's opera Christmas Eve. Since its organization and in addition to regular concerts on the UAF campus, the Choir has made several Alaskan and Pacific Northwest tours and has visited Europe. The Choir of the North performs periodically with the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra and the Arctic Chamber Orchestra. Performances by the Choir of the North have been selected for national broadcast on the KUAC "Intrada" series, and the Choir's recording Carols of Christmas has been released by Golden Crest Records.
Meet Dr. Jaunelle Celaire
Lyric-soprano, Jaunelle Roberta Celaire enjoys a musical career as a teacher, soloist,
conductor and performer. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Celaire is internationally
known; performing music that ranges from cabaret to music theatre and from solo recitals
to opera. She has made solo appearances with several orchestras across the nation
including, the Maumee Symphony Orchestra and the Lima Symphony Orchestra. Other appearances
include the University of Michigan Symphony Band, as Musetta, in La Bohême, and the University of Michigan Symphony, premiering the role of the Old Woman, in
a One Act Blues Opera, De Organizer by James P. Johnson, performed at Orchestra Hall in Detroit, Michigan. Celaire made
her debut with the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra in Fairbanks, Alaska, in April 2004,
singing the soprano role in Orff’s Carmina Burana, and sang Micaela in Bizet’s opera, Carmen in April 2005.
The UAF Music Department
The UAF Department of Music strives to prepare its students for 21st century musical careers by providing a rigorous coursework curriculum and opportunities for a variety of musical experiences and numerous community partnerships. The UAF Music Department is a cultural hub of Fairbanks and by extension the rest of Alaska. It provides graduating students with performance and educational skills in preparation for the workforce in Alaska and beyond, as well as a broad skill-set of knowledge to meet the needs of an ever-changing world. Graduates of our program go on to diverse careers in music, or continue their studies in graduate programs in the United States and internationally.
The Department of Music has three distinct degree programs, the Bachelor of Arts in Music, Bachelor of Music in Performance and Bachelor of Music in Education, each with its own specialized focus. Starting your first year, you’ll gain valuable performance experience through a variety of large and small ensembles, workshops with guest artists, apprentice programs, master classes and state and national competitions. You can also specialize your degree to explore and shape your particular musical interests and career paths.
Each degree path stresses the importance of instilling a lifelong commitment to learning, creating music research opportunities that generate new artistic knowledge and insights as well as new perspectives on traditional knowledge. Part of this approach involves an understanding of non-Western frameworks of knowledge as cultivated in Alaskan indigenous musical culture and neighboring regions. Students are trained to engage the public as musical ambassadors in Fairbanks and other communities around Alaska and beyond.
Start your degree in Music at UAF
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