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Press Releases
January 2, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DEWITT COMMUNITY SINGERS presents their annual Spring Concert on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. at DeWitt High School Auditorium (located at 13601 Panther Dr., DeWitt, MI 48820)
Artistic Director, Megan Higle and Assistant Director, Brooke Broughton offer “KEEP A LIGHT ON”, featuring choral works by Elaine Hagenberg, Erics Esenvalds, Kiby Shaw, Anton Bruckner, Ben Parry, Thomas Juneau, Andrea Ramesy, Karen Marrolli, and others.
A portion of the proceeds for our “KEEP A LIGHT ON” will be donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (more info at www.afsp.org)
DeWitt Community Singers is a non-audition, community choir for any singer who loves music and is willing to strive for high musical standards through the participation in rehearsals and performances.
January 13, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Megan Higle, Artistic Director
DeWitt Community Singers
WE ARE…
DEWITT COMMUNITY SINGERS will be presenting their Spring Concert, “We Are” on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at DeWitt High School.
Featuring works by mostly women and/or persons of color, our Spring Concert will offer up the following: “At The Round Earth’s Imagined Corners” (Williametta Spencer); “On My Dreams” (Jocelyn Hagen); “The Word Was God” (Rosephanye Powell); “Down to the River to Pray” (Jennaya Robison); “Crowded Table” (Andrea Ramsey); “Wild Embers” (Melissa Dunphy); “Imaliyam” (Lhente-Mari Pitout); “Dulaman” (Michael McGlynn); “Marie Madeleine” (Jeanette Gallant); “All Things New” (Elaine Hagenberg); “TaReKiTa” (Reena Esmail); and “There’s Gonna Be a Homecomin’” (Kyle Pederson).
The DeWitt Community Singers was founded in 2000 and has been a part of the community of DeWitt ever since. The choir presents a minimum of two concerts annually and often participates in community functions in and around the Lansing area.
You can contribute to the ongoing mission and music-making of the DeWitt Community Singers – please send an email to dewittsingers@gmail.com to find out the easiest way for you to make your tax-free donation.
DeWitt Community Singers is a non-audition, community choir and 501(c)(3) for any singer who loves music and is willing to strive for high musical standards through the participation in rehearsals and performances. Find us on FaceBook, (DeWitt Community Singers) or through our website, www.dewittcommunitysingers.net.
July 20, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Megan Higle, Artistic Director
DeWitt Community Singers
Calling all lovers of choral music to join the DEWITT COMMUNITY SINGERS! (DeWitt, Michigan)
Rehearsals will begin on Tuesday, September 6, 2022 (DeWitt High School Choir Room) from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. (masks encouraged for those unvaccinated or not feeling well.)
Our December Concert, titled “DECEMBER BLESSINGS” will feature works by Mark A. Miller, Matthew Emery, Craig Hella Johnson, Michael Engelhardt, Molly iJames, Dan Forrest and others. The December Concert will be held on Tuesday, December 13, in DeWitt (DeWitt High School Auditorium).
The choir will also be presenting a concert with the DeWitt Middle School Treble Choirs (Caitlyn McDougal – Schippers, Director) on Tuesday, November 15, 2022. This concert will feature “Canticles of Light” by Bob Chilcott and a chamber orchestra.
You can register online through DeWitt Community Education or pick up a form at one of our rehearsals.
Keep up with latest information on our Facebook Page – DeWitt Community Singers – or our website, www.dewtittcommunitysingers.net
Questions? Contact our Artistic Director, Megan Higle - megan.higle@gmail.com or by cell: 248-320-4578.
Spring 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Megan Higle, Artist Director
DeWitt Community Singers
DeWitt Community Singers (DCS) has been awarded a grant of $1600 from the State of Michigan Council forArts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA). The grant was awarded through the MCACA peer review process and wasone of 594 applications to compete for MCACA fiscal year 2022 funding.
Organizations receiving a MCACA grant award are required to match those funds with other public and privatedollars. Local support of the project includes private donations from many individuals in our community.
DeWitt Community Singers also receives significant volunteer support from the community – including Redeemer Methodist Church (where our concerts are held) and DeWitt Public Schools (who provide us with rehearsal space).
Our spring concert, “BEYOND BREATH” will be held on Tuesday, May 7 at 7:00 p.m. The world premiere of choral piece, “Ruah” is our feature piece. We are excited to host an open discussion for our audience members at 6:30 p.m. with Dr. Michael A Mitchell (Oakland University, Rochester, MI), Rev. Barbara Edema (Chelsea, Michigan) and Megan Higle (DCS Artistic Director) to talk about the writing process for both music and lyrics and rehearsal process for “Ruah”.
The MCACA peer review process allows for each grant application to be competitively considered by a panel of in-state and out-of-state arts and culture professionals. This ensures the taxpayers, who support thisproject through legislative appropriations, and all other visitors or residents in Michigan will have access tothe highest quality arts and cultural experiences.
A complete list of grant awards around the state is available by contacting MCACA at
(517) 241-4011, or by visiting the MCACA website at www.michigan.gov/arts.
December 31, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Calling all lovers of choral music to join the DEWITT COMMUNITY SINGERS!
Rehearsals will begin on Tuesday, January 11, 2022 (DeWitt High School Choir Room) from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. (masks required regardless of vaccination status).
Our Spring Concert, titled “BEYOND BREATH” will feature the World Premiere of “Ruah” (music by Dr. Michael A. Mitchell, lyrics by Rev. Barbara Edema). We will also be including works by Johannes Brahms, Rene Claussen, Stephen Sondheim, Andrea Ramsey, Eric Whitacre and others.
The choir will have a Master Class with composer, Dr. Mike Mitchell in late April. Our audience will have the opportunity to attend a Pre-Concert Discussion with our Artistic Director, Megan Higle and the Lyricist, Rev. Barbara Edema prior to the May 3, 2022 concert.
You can register online through DeWitt Community Education or pick up a form at one of our rehearsals.
Keep up with latest information on our FaceBook Page – DeWitt Community Singers – Or our website, www.dewtittcommunitysingers.net
Questions? Contact our Artistic Director, Megan Higle - megan.higle@gmail.com or by cell: 248-320-4578.
August 12, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DEWITT COMMUNITY SINGERS prepares for the 2021/22 Season with rehearsals (in-person) beginning on Tuesday, September 7, 2021 at DeWitt High School (choir room).
Artistic Director, Megan Higle and Assistant Director, Brooke Broughton offer “EVERY FAMILY HAS A STORY”, featuring the following choral works: “Sing Me To Heaven” (Gawthrop); “Here We Come A-Caroling” (iJames); “Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day” (Rutter); “The Rose” (Ojelio); “The Little Drummer Boy” (Raney); “Ring, Silver Bells” (Snyder); “Veni, Veni Emmanuel” (Trotta); “Please Come Home For Christmas” (Althouse); “Betelehemu” (Whalum); “Angels We Have Heard On High” (Parker/Shaw); “Adeste Fideles” (Purifoy); “The Shepherd’s Carol” (Forrest); “A Celtic Silent Night” (Tierney).
The choir will be enhanced by a string quartet, percussionist and flautist as they bring warmth to the cold winter. The concert will be held at Redeemer Methodist Church, 13980 Schavey Rd, corner of Schavey & Clark in DeWitt, on Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
DeWitt Community Singers is a non-audition, community choir for any singer who loves music and is willing to strive for high musical standards through the participation in rehearsals and performances.
You can register to sing with us through the DeWitt Public Schools/Community Education website – or pick up a registration form at the first rehearsal.
Find us on Facebook or on our website, www.dewittcommunitysingers.net
November 24, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A Bright Light During Challenging Times
DEWITT COMMUNITY SINGERS will be presenting their Winter Concert via YouTube! This year our members have been rehearsing in their homes, meeting weekly on Zoom and submitting their voices and faces to be included in the “Happy Holidays from DeWitt Community Singers”. The video will be premiered in mid-December 2020, featuring carol favorites, “O Come All Ye Faithful”; “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming”; “Silent Night”; “Away In A Manger”; “The Holly and the Ivy”; “O Holy Night”, and secular favorites, “Ukrainian Bell Carol”; “Up on the Housetop” and “A Holly Jolly Christmas”. The choir hopes that the thirty minutes or so of holiday music will lift your spirts and give you a moment to celebrate.
Artistic Director Megan Higle (Lansing) and Assistant Director Brooke Broughton (DeWitt) have been working together since this summer to put together rehearsal tracks and video guides for the choir to be able to practice their music at home. The choir began meeting via Zoom in March 2020, once the initial State shutdown was put into place. Too many stories of choir rehearsals ending in Covid-19 cases made it clear that it was best for the choir and their families that the group move to a virtual setting. The group has met every Tuesday evening since. Because the choir members have been rehearsing on their own, meeting on Tuesdays has become time for fellowship, specific musical questions and learning about vocal health. Artistic Director Megan Higle says, “My family knows when it’s Tuesday night, because my home office is filled with laughter and singing!” Not only is Megan Higle the Artistic Director, but she has turned into the choir’s sound and video editor. “This year has stretched my creativity with technology in new and exciting ways”, she says. “I never thought that I would be spending so much time in my home office making music, but it has slowly turned into a way for me to connect with my singers.”
Mary Weinzweig (DeWitt) is the choir’s Treasurer and Alto section leader. “Tuesday night rehearsal is not just a chance to warm up and rehearse music, it is also a chance to connect with others we miss seeing weekly, share stories of our lives, laugh a lot and lift each other up in spirit. Thanks to the creative and enthusiastic spirit of our Director, we have found a way to connect as a group each week and share messages through virtual music performances.”
Suzette Hilton (DeWitt) has been a member of the choir since its beginning. “Our Zoom gatherings have been a way to stay connected even though we cannot [physically] be together. [It’s been a] good way to share laughs and get back into singing.”
Jim Butt (DeWitt), a long-time member of DCS, he says that “DCS participation has helped me maintain my sanity! Our Tuesday rehearsals provide comradery that, although not the same as being together in the same room, still helps to maintain friendships and share each other’s concerns.” Marsha Hoffman-Turner (Alma) concurs, “DCS has been a wonderful connection to ‘normalcy’. It’s a regular opportunity to join with others to share, laugh and create! It offers a view to where we hope to be in the not to distant future.”
Many members of the choir participated in two virtual choir videos over the summer months, “I Choose Love” by Mark A Miller and “You Are The New Day” arr by Peter Knight. (Both are viewable on YouTube, or through the choir’s website and FaceBook page). The latter was a featured virtual choir piece at the October 2020 Michigan ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) annual virtual meeting.
https://youtu.be/5ySpzavbfmg (I Choose Love)
https://youtu.be/dNs2BL1mjtE (You Are the New Day)
The DeWitt Community Singers was founded in 2000 and has been a part of the community of DeWitt ever since. The choir presents a minimum of two concerts annually and often participates in community functions in and around the Lansing area.
You can contribute to the ongoing mission and music-making of the DeWitt Community Singers – please send an email to dewittsingers@gmail.com to find out the easiest way for you to make your tax-free donation.
DeWitt Community Singers is a non-audition, community choir and 501(c)(3) for any singer who loves music and is willing to strive for high musical standards through the participation in rehearsals and performances. Find us on FaceBook, DeWitt Community Singers, or through our website, www.dewittcommunitysingers.net.
February 26, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DEWITT COMMUNITY SINGERS presents their annual Spring Concert on Tuesday, April 28th, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. at Redeemer United Methodist Church, located at 13980 Schavey Rd, DeWitt, MI 48820.
Artistic Director, Megan Higle and Assistant Director, Brooke Broughton offer “YOU ARE LIGHT”, featuring the following choral works: “O Schone Nacht” (J. Brahms), “Sure On This Shining Night” (Laurdisen), “Please Stay” (Runestad), “The Seal Lullaby” (Whitacre), “You Are The New Day” (David, arr Knight), “Let All the World in Every Corner Sing” (Vaughn Williams, arr Courtney), “Tant que vivray” (Sermisy, ed Leavitt), “The Road Home” (Paulus), “I Will Walk This Way” (Berg), “To Rose” (Esenvalds), “True Light” (Hampton), “Awake My Soul” (Hagenberg) and “Come In From the Firefly Darkness” (Bernon).
A portion of the proceeds for our “YOU ARE LIGHT” will be donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (more info at www.afsp.org)
DeWitt Community Singers is a non-audition, community choir for any singer who loves music and is willing to strive for high musical standards through the participation in rehearsals and performances.
Find us on FaceBook or on our website, www.dewittcommunitysingers.net