North Hennepin Community College choirs welcome jazz composer Kristin Sponcia to campus to premiere her new choral work, Like the Water.
NHCC Vocal Ensembles and Kristin Sponcia Performance Schedule and Event Info
- Friday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m.
- All performances will be located in the Fine Arts Center Theatre (FAC 178).
- Visit YouTube to view the livestream.
With generous support from the NHCC Foundation, the North Hennepin choral department has just commissioned a new work from Milwaukee-based musician and educator Kristin Sponcia to fit into our upcoming Seafarers program. Director of Choirs Gary Ruschman relates, “In an ongoing effort to center new repertoire by traditionally underrepresented voices in the jazz idiom, Kristin immediately came to mind as the perfect person to create a new three-part work for our singers. Her harmonic sense and expressive strength havebeen very striking to me in her musical arrangements, and I was thrilled she was available to compose something for us and work with our students in Brooklyn Park. This composition is a way for NHCC to bring a new song directly into the community, and provide an up-and-coming composer the opportunity to write for a specific voicing that could serve a lot of choirs across the country.”
Like the Water includes heartfelt and inspiring lyrics from Kristin that the students have quickly locked onto in rehearsal: “The words came as a download. I was inspired to create music that supported those lyrics and am grateful for this opportunity to share my compositional voice with others!”
Like the water,
Sometimes I flow endlessly.
I keep rushing the rocks on the beach
Then I crash and break apart and recede to the sea...
Let the water carry you to the place
Where you don’t worry anymore…
NHCC Foundation Executive Director Laura Brandt was crucial to bringing our efforts to fruition: “This commissioned work is a strong example of how donor support expands our students’ educational opportunities by giving them the experience of premiering original music and learning directly from the composer, creating something truly special for our community.” Fine Arts Area administrator Renee Zachman handled contracting and many other tasks related to this special commissioning process. Dr. Sponcia will be available for students’ individual and group coaching during the week of the May 1st concert.
Dr. Kristin Sponcia is a Milwaukee-based composer, pianist, vocalist, and educator currently serving as the Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Milwaukee Jazz Institute.
With a career spanning nearly three decades, Dr. Sponcia has performed at Carnegie Hall, held an international jazz residency in China, and led her own quartet in creating inventive jazz and pop arrangements. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Performance (Voice) from the University of Illinois and has mentored hundreds of students throughout the Midwest. While her roots are in jazz, she also continues to evolve in the areas of songwriting and music entrepreneurship, seeking to blend her various musical gifts and interests. Visit www.kristinsponcia.com to learn more about Kristin and her musical inspiration.