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Request Summary VOICES again seeks operating funds of $3,000 to support the salary <br />of our rehearsal accompanist, Shoko Abe, DMA. VOICES will prov ide <br />the remainder of her salary from operating rev enue. <br />Dr. Abe, a nativ e of Japan, holds the Doctor of Musical Arts in <br />Collaborativ e Piano (April 2018, Univ ersity of North Texas), following <br />degrees earned with high honors in piano performance from <br />Fukushima Univ ersity and Showa Univ ersity of Music in Japan. (See <br />attached bio and two audio files of her work). <br />Shoko Abe has serv ed as the rehearsal accompanist for both Voices <br />and Cantari for three seasons. She has demonstrated exceptional <br />abilities when leading sectionals, exceling as a collaborativ e pianist. <br />Her capabilities were especially ev ident during rehearsals of <br />"Hallelujah Chorus”. from Jackson's "A Soulful Celebration" (v ideo <br />attached). <br />Dr. Abe also serv es as our concert keyboardist mov ing between <br />piano and electronic keyboard, hosting guest pianists (Kev in <br />Johnson, DMA in December 2018) and working with full orchestra. <br />She was joined for Cantari’s concerts twice by her husband, Robert <br />Buxton, to play four-hand piano accompaniment. In June, 2019, <br />Shoko was featured on Szymko's “A Burst of Song”. “Her <br />performance of this intricate, difficult piece played a key role in the <br />quality of musical expression achiev ed and in highlighting the text---it <br />was not just an accompaniment” -Stephen Futrell. <br />Support from OCAC will enable VOICES choruses to rehearse and <br />perform with a highly skilled accompanist in the 2021 season as we <br />seek to master both v irtual recordings (Fall) and a new <br />commissioned choral work (Spring). <br />Organizational Goals The two primary goals of Voices are first, to prov ide a setting for our <br />members to enjoy singing, and second, to engage the community in <br />the appreciation of cultural heritage embodied in choral music. <br />Voices places a high v alue on offering div erse and challenging <br />repertoire which our members enjoy singing. W e also striv e to <br />introduce new compositions or those infrequently performed in <br />addition to more traditional choral repertoire. A highly skilled <br />accompanist helps us achiev e these goals in limited rehearsal time, <br />and that will be especially true in the current season to prepare <br />singers for precise v irtual recordings as well as the challenging new <br />major choral work commissioned for Spring, to celebrate our 40th <br />anniv ersary. <br />Plans for the 2020-21 season are mov ing forward in this year of <br />uncertainty concerning the status of choral performances. For the <br />Fall, VOICES will record and release a set of 4-5 “Songs of Hope and <br />Thanksgiv ing” on our YouTube channel and other av enues to lift <br />community spirits. VOICES members demonstrated full support for <br />this endeav or on a recent surv ey. Of 130 respondents, 64 stated they <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: 9F1C561B-832A-4222-87B0-7A0980362B9B