Director Angel Michaels conducts the Orcas A Cappella Singers at a benefit concert for Sendai, Japan at the Deer Harbor Community Center.
Orcas A Cappella is more than a vibrant vocal ensemble and interpreter of beautiful music. It has other definitions that include philanthropy, SongShare and touring in Europe.
As recently as last month, Orcas A Cappella joined with Susan Osborn to raise money for survivors of the earthquake in Sendai, Japan. The group has also helped raise funds for the Lopez Children’s Center and the Lopez Food Bank.
It is the only vocal group that has members from San Juan Island, Lopez Island, Shaw Island and Orcas Island.
Orcas A Cappella has hosted two world renowned conductors — Richard Marlow, conductor of the Choir of Trinity College of Cambridge, England, and Damien Mocnik, composer and conductor from Slovenia. The concerts at the end of week-long residencies are called SongShare.
The Europe Cantats are meetings of more than 3000 singers from around the globe, who for 10 days, study music together and perform for each other in concert. The Orcas choir was chosen, by audition, to attend two Europa Cantats, in Barcelona, Spain in 2003, and in Mainz, Germany in 2006.
Orcas A Cappella was founded in 2002 by Dennis Bonner. Its mission is to share music as a common ground of understanding. Carrying on that tradition, the new director, Angel Michaels, has helped the choral group grow musically under expert direction using a myriad of ideas from her choral toolbox.
Angel Michaels will direct Orcas A Cappella for two concerts on Orcas. The first will be on Friday, May 20 at Orcas Center, 7:30 p.m. and then at Rosario Resort on Sunday, May 22 at 5 p.m. The $12. tickets for the events are available at Darvills Bookstore.
Do Orcas Islanders remember hosting the Swedish university choir Kor med Kor? That was brought to you by Orcas A Cappella’s SongShare mission too!