Festival of Singing features local talent
A music festival featuring voices of the Red River Valley is set for mid February at three locations in Fargo-Moorhead. MSU Moorhead voice teacher and soprano Robin Allebach founded the Fargo-Moorhead Festival of Singing last year with the goal of making it an annual event. This is the first.
“I founded the series to celebrate the art of singing in its many forms,” says Allebach. “I also wanted to feature the regional talent in our universities, colleges and high schools.”
Allebach has sung with leading conductors, opera companies and orchestras all over the world. She now teaches voice at Bemidji State University, Minnesota State University Moorhead and Valley City State University.
The voice festival opens with the “Red River Valley Hymn Sing,” led by Prairie Public Radio host Merrill Piepkorn. The event takes place Friday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. at Messiah Lutheran Church in Fargo. For more information, call (701) 237-6770. The event includes Piepkorn’s stories, as well as performances by Allebach and Jim Gurney, piano, and Bill Tweten, organ.
The festival continues with the “College-High School Vocal Exchange” on Sunday, Feb. 13 at 2 p.m. at Fox Recital Hall in the Roland Dille Center for the Arts on the MSUM campus. Top college and high school vocalists perform, followed by an open forum about life as a college music student and professional musician.
The festival concludes Thursday, Feb. 17, with “Bach Your Lunch,” a 12:15 performance of music by J. S. Bach at First Presbyterian Church in Fargo. This event features Allebach and MSUM faculty members Debora Harris, flute, and Susan Nagel, piano.
All events are open to the public. Free will offerings will be accepted at the churches. A vocal jazz showcase originally planned for the festival has been postponed to a later date.
For more information about the festival, go to the website, or contact Robin Allebach at (773) 203-1441, or fmfestivalofsinging@aol.com.