For decades, thousands of Lexington and Central Kentucky youth have spent their summers at sports camps on Transylvania’s campus. Recently, a group of middle and high school students came to campus for a different summer experience – one focused on building community through music.
Uniting Voices Lexington, a new community performing arts organization, hosted its inaugural three-day workshop and performance at Transylvania’s Mitchell Fine Arts Center in June. Classes took place in the William T. Young Campus Center, and the debut performance was hosted in Carrick Theater.
“Uniting Voices Lexington is empowering youth to do what they want to do and harmonize with the world,” said one of the workshop participants.
Founded by acclaimed baritone and music educator Michael Preacely, known to local audiences for his work with the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre, Uniting Voices Lexington will officially launch its program this fall.
The three-day workshop was the community’s introduction to what’s coming. According to the group, singers learned the power of their collective voices while making new friendships with youth from all around Lexington and the surrounding Bluegrass region. At the summer showcase, students performed music in five languages.
“With Mitchell Fine Arts Center and the Tranyslvania campus situated directly between downtown Lexington and the community, we are always looking for ways to connect with and support our neighbors and artists. The opportunity to host Uniting Voices Lexington’s first summer festival was a shining example of this,” said Graham Posner, production coordinator and technical director for MFA.
“Watching local youth collaborate and perform with renowned musicians from the Bluegrass was very rewarding, and the show was a huge success. I look forward to working with many more community-based artists and hosting Uniting Voices Lexington again soon,” Posner added.
According to its website, the Lexington program is the first local chapter outside of Chicago for Uniting Voices, an organization founded at the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement and rooted in the belief that music is a vehicle for fostering empathy and respect between young people of all lived experiences.
Find out more about the organization by watching the video below.