Minot State Division of Music commemorates Centenary of Women’s Suffrage
MINOT, N.D. – On Saturday, Nov. 9, the Minot State University Concert Choir will commemorate the Centenary of Women’s Suffrage during their fall concert beginning at 7:30 p.m. in Ann Nicole Nelson Hall.
As part of the performance, the choir extended a special invitation to North Dakota women artists to submit work that visually represented one of the eight movements of Luciano Berio’s “Magnificat.” Based on the biblical “Song of Mary,” Berio’s composition was completed 70 years ago and is one of several selections that will be performed on Saturday celebrating the empowerment of women as embodied in the passage of the 19th amendment.
“When I contacted Greg Vettel (Northwest Arts Center director) and Avis Veikley (Minot State percussion instructor) about this project, they both enthusiastically locked arms and gave this project wings,” said Emerson Eads, Minot State director of choral activities and assistant professor of music. “The art that has been represented by North Dakotan women artists will be projected on a scrim behind the orchestra and choir during the ‘Magnificat’ to give a visual aspect to the music. I’m excited for how the projections will enhance the listening experience of this work that has never been heard in North Dakota.”
A total of 19 artistic pieces were selected to accompany the musical performance. The original art pieces will be displayed in the lobby while images of the works will be projected on a large screen behind the choir during the performance. Following the concert, the artwork will be exhibited at the Walter Piehl Gallery, Northwest Arts Center, from Nov. 14 through Dec. 5 where the works will be for sale. The 30% commissions and any donations will be divided equally between the Northwest Arts Center and the MSU Choir. The choir will use the funds to support in-state travel and performances.
The night will also feature a new piece by Eads, inspired by Minot State poet laureate Huldah Lucile Winsted.
“’Her Voice Resounds: A Prairie Cantata,’ will have its world premiere on Nov. 9. I wrote this piece on a text by Huldah Lucile Winsted, who also wrote the text for the Minot State University Alma Mater,” Eads said. “She and her poetry are definitely representative of this place, this land, and the people here on the prairie. So, the cantata aims to give voice to her, the poet, to the land itself, but also to its women. A mezzo-soprano, sung by Dr. DeVera Bowles (Minot State voice professor) represents these voices.”
The cantata will also feature members of the Minot Symphony Orchestra, the Minot High School Symphonic Concert Choir, Briana Schwan, Minot State instructor of functional piano, and Dianna Anderson, Minot State assistant professor of piano.
The year 2020 will mark the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing and protecting women’s constitutional right to vote. The proposed amendment gained congressional approval in 1919, and the North Dakota Legislature met in special session to ratify the amendment in November and December of that year. The required ratification of three-quarters of the states was met on Aug. 18, 1920.
For more information about the concert, Eads is available via email at emerson.eads@MinotStateU.edu. For additional information about the artwork, Vettel may be contacted at gregory.vettel@MinotStateU.edu.
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Minot State University is a public university dedicated to excellence in education, scholarship, and community engagement achieved through
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| Published: 11/06/19 |
