A Community Choir's Work

The value of community ensembles is often overlooked. If you are reading this now, think of a community vocal group or music group or annual event that gave you some joy in your life. Now take that feeling in - the feeling of people coming together, sharing something in common, appreciating life and warmth and brotherhood. 

Additionally, if you are reading this and you belonged to a community group (or still do), congratulate yourself for the work that you do. This work is often not acknowledged or appreciated!

​On the 15th of November, the HildaMan Chorale will be celebrating its 35th Anniversary - 35 years of providing music and culture and strength to the Wilmington, Deleware community. The event will include choral works as well as presentations of dance and instrumental works. The guest conductors include the influential conductor and music educator C. Lawler Rogers, music educator and church leader Shirley Brockenborough, and the prestigious conductor and composer-arranger Roland M. Carver. The dance presentation will be given by Melody Dale, member of D'elegance, the dance team of the Deleware State University Band.

Adrienne Baker, COOS' Director of Community Engagement

Another guest artist will be Castle of our Skins's very own Director of Outreach and Community Engagement, Adrienne Baker. Originally from Wilmington, DE, Ms. Baker has studied music at Ithaca College and the Longy School of Music in Boston, MA. Now residing in the Boston Area, Ms. Baker's passion about accessibility in music has lead her to teach musicians of all levels, create and conduct workshops linking music with storytelling, and study music entrepreneurship with one of today's leading ensembles, the Imani Winds. For the program, Ms. Baker will be playing "Flute Set" byAdolphus Hailstork, and her own arrangement of the Gospel standard "Total Praise" (Richard Smallwood). You can hear some of Ms. Baker's recordings on her SoundCloud page.

According to one of their members, "the HildaMan Chorale is a talented volunteer vocal ensemble group founded by Leander Morris and Allen E. Clark in 1980, at the urging of Bebe Ross Coker. Ms. Coker felt the need for a community-based ensemble whose primary objective would be singing and preserving the spiritual. As a secondary objective, Morris and Clark selected performing music by local composers. The members of the chorale share a love of music and the joy of performing to the delight of the audience. Their repertoire ranges from spirituals, standard oratorio and classical literature, madrigals, jazz, and show tunes." 

Brava to Adrienne Baker, and congratulations on 35 years of service, HildaMan Chorale! Here is to 35 more!

(We'd Like to Hear from YOU!)