Photo: Vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth, who perform with chamber group A Far Cry in Ann Arbor on April 12, 2017. Photo by Bonica Ayala.

My parents started me on piano and violin at a young age, so I’ve been exposed to classical music for almost all of my life. I grew up listening to Pavarotti and Andrea Bocell, and it wasn’t until later that I began exploring more modern Pop and Rock genres. Throughout the years, I’ve listened to most genres of music, including country, gospel, classic rock to name a few. But, funnily enough, I didn’t truly appreciate the human voice until I got strep in 10th grade and lost my voice for a week and a half. It was a classic case of not knowing what you have until it’s gone. The week and half of not being able to communicate with others or sing along to my favorite songs made me realize just how important and powerful our voices are.

In the playlist below, I’m collecting some examples of how we convey emotions, ideas, and beliefs through voice, whether it’s through music, spoken word, or through countless other ways we use our voices.

Whitney Houston’s National Anthem

Our national anthem is one of my favorite tunes, not only because of its beautiful melody, but also because the words have the capacity to instill a sense of pride in the foundations and values of this nation. I like this Whitney Houston rendition because of its simplicity, and yet, its power.

Spoken Word

I have always loved spoken word, the way the combination of rhythm and language creates a special kind of emotion. Here is just one example, by College National Poetry Slam champion Neil Hillborn. Joey focuses on the disparity in access to mental illness treatment and  on the role that privilege plays in our mental health system.

Opera

I didn’t appreciate opera very much growing up, mostly because it was usually in another language, and I had no sense of the stories within the pieces. I’ll be honest, I still don’t know most of the time. However, as an adult, I’ve come to be able to feel the pieces even when I don’t understand the words. So, here is Pavarotti’s performance of Nessun Dorma. For this one, sit back, close your eyes, and feel the strength of his voice.

Voices and Orchestral Works

I know no better way to demonstrate the power and range of our voices than with Carmina Burana. I’m sure you’ve heard parts of this work, which has made appearances in popular culture including but not limited to college football games and commercials.

Speeches

Martin Luther King Jr.’s I have a dream speech is iconic. The timbre of his voice, its pace, amplify its incredibly potent themes. On the other hand, Robin Williams’s Make Your Life Spectacular speech is softly spoken and wistful; it drifts over as his message sinks in. These two entirely different approaches give a sense of the capacity of the voice to inspire.

Popular song, and then, something in between

Kanye West’s Say You Will, featuring the vocalist and composer Caroline Shaw, explores the sounds that the voice is capable of making in combination with technology.

I’m sure you’ve heard of Kanye West, but you may not yet know of Caroline Shaw. Caroline Shaw, a Grammy-award-winning singer, violinist, and composer. From yodeling to throat singing, Caroline Shaw and Roomful of Teeth expand the capacity of the voice across genres and singing techniques.

This great diversity in sound is showcased in the group’s performance with NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert, shown below. Both the artist and the group are known for continuously exploring the boundaries of the human voice, encompassing both the breadth and depth of our voices. Their works embody the impact and the amazing variety of the human voice. Your chance to check them out in person is coming up. They perform with chamber group A Far Cry in Ann Arbor on April 12, 2017.

Jae Cosmos Lee, a violinist with A Far Cry, has also been kind enough to sit down with us and answer a few questions about his work and inspirations:

A Far Cry with Roomful of Teeth will perform at Rackham Auditorium on April 12, 2017 at 7:30pm.

The Divine Voices Series celebrates the choral music tradition with three concerts at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church and one in St. Andrews Episcopal Church.

Subscription packages go on sale to the general public on Monday, May 9, and will be available through Friday, September 17. Current subscribers will receive renewal packets in early May and may renew their series upon receipt of the packet. Tickets to individual events will go on sale to the general public on Monday, August 22 (via www.ums.org) and Wednesday, August 24 (in person and by phone). Not sure if you’re on our mailing list? Click here to update your mailing address to be sure you’ll receive a brochure.

State Symphony Capella of Russia
Valery Polyansky, conductor
Thursday, October 13, 7:30pm
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church

Featuring 50 glorious voices, the State Symphony Capella of Russia was founded in 1991 as a result of a merger of the USSR State Chamber Choir and the State Symphony Orchestra of the USSR Ministry of Culture. The Capella’s program will include Russian choral works of Bortnianski, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Taneyev, Sidelnikov, and Schnittke, as well as works of Anton Bruckner and Russian folk songs.

Schola Cantorum of Venezuela
María Guinand, conductor
Thursday, October 27, 7:30pm
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church

Schola Cantorum de Venezuela is one of the most important choral societies belonging to the growing choral movement in Venezuela. The premiere touring chorus of Latin America, the Schola Cantorum has a breathtaking range of repertoire, from sacred hymns and motets to propulsive rhythmic and tuneful popular idioms of their rich Latin American culture. Their Ann Arbor debut program, “Water and Fiesta,” features songs by composers from Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Uruguay, Cuba, Mexico, and the US.

Veni Emmanuel: Tudor music for Christmas and Advent
Stile Antico
Wednesday, December 7, 7:30pm
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church

For this return engagement, Stile Antico moves across town to the beautiful sanctuary of St. Andrews Episcopal Church, where they will perform a program of Tudor music for Christmas and Advent. The program is centered on Thomas Tallis’s magnificent seven-part “Christmas” mass, written for the combined choirs of the Spanish and English Chapels Royal and first performed in December 1554.

The Tallis Scholars
Peter Phillips, artistic director
Thursday, Feburary 16, 7:30pm
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church

The Tallis Scholars add a new dimension to UMS’s focus on artistic renegades, by presenting music of the wealthy Italian prince Carlos Gesualdo, most famous for his obsessive double murder of his wife and her lover, but also a maverick Renaissance composer whose eccentric approach to creating music and whose colorful life story inspired both Nadia Boulanger and Igor Stravinsky several hundred years later. At the centerpiece of this program is the Tenebrae Responses, the liturgy for the final three days of Holy Week. Works by other “maverick” Renaissance composers round out the program.

Return to the complete chronological list.