Sounds of Hope
Celebrating, Educating, Discovering
Announcements
January 2007
Happy New Year! To all our friends worldwide who sent us New Year's greetings, thank you! The big news now, in the beginning of 2007, is that we are making changes and improvements to Songs of Hope. For the first time ever, old Hopers who are not Junior Team staff members may return as SOH participants. For those returning, much will be the same, with rehearsals and concert performances, but there will also be new activities and new learning experiences. If you would like details, send us an email. Another improvement that we are making is to increase the number of countries that will be participating each summer. Anyone interested in developing a delegation from your country, or from another country, whether you're experienced or not, please send us an email and we will be happy to work with you. Finally, we are pleased to report that the Iowa and Wisconsin tour is shaping up well. We hope to have first concert details on our website soon. So, stop back in February or March for more information.
September 2006
Songs of Hope 2006 was a great project. International children came to Minnesota from eight countries worldwide. Their concert, with its tribute to the music and spirit of New Orleans, was particularly moving. Following a show-stopping medley of Jazz, Cajun, Zydeco, and Mardi Gras songs, featuring songs by many prominent New Orleans songwriters, audiences in many places gave standing ovations. We are particularly proud of our Junior Team staff members who brought such talent, commitment, and love to this summer's project. You're the best!
Can we top 2006? Thanks to an Access to Artistic Excellence grant from the NEA, we will be on the Mississippi River again next summer, for our second leg of the river tour -- this time
visiting river cities in Northeast Iowa. Our dream is to complete a new leg of the river tour every other summer, traveling from Minnesota to Louisiana. In the coming year, look for more about Leg #2 on this Announcements page!
September 2005
For the second year in a row, the Youth Leadership Development Program of Songs of Hope™ was selected as one of fifty semifinalists nationwide for a prestigious Presidential Coming Up Taller™ Award. Our Youth Leadership Development Program gives project alumni the chance to rejoin the project as staff. The program is designed to teach leadership skills and increase performance experience. The Coming Up Taller™ Awards are sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The Award recognizes outstanding programs serving youth through the arts.
Summer 2005
Many thanks to everyone who helped make Songs of Hope 2005 such a successful project! International children joined the project from Singapore, Turkey, Israel, Italy, Czech Republic, Costa Rica, and (for the first time) Brazil. The Songs of Hope™ company had an ambitious schedule, with appearances in all kinds of venues:
July 5 Lakeside Park – Forest Lake, MN
July 7 Castillo Park, District del Sol, Saint Paul, MN
July 8 Midway Training Services, Saint Paul, MN
July 13 City of Burnsville – Wednesday in the Park Concerts
July 14 Youth Summer Program – Faribault, MN
July 14 Central Park, Faribault, MN
July 15 St. Teresa Retirement Center, Wabasha, MN
July 15 Concert Under the Bridge, Wabasha, MN
July 17 E.M. Pearson Theatre, Saint Paul, MN
July 19 Marshall Fields-Rosedale Mall, Roseville, MN
July 20 Church of the Redeemer Neighborhood Concerts, St. Paul, MN
July 21 Stahl Construction Company, St. Louis Park, MN
July 21 Summer Concerts, Buffalo, MN
July 22 St. Francis Nursing Home, Superior, WI
July 22 Fairlawn Mansion, Superior, WI
July 23 Bay Tower Apartments, Ashland WI
July 23 Band Shell, Ashland, WI
July 25 St. Paul Travelers Company Cafeteria, Saint Paul, MN
July 26 Four Seasons Elementary School, Saint Paul, MN
July 27 Summer Concert Series, Oakdale, MN
July 28 Northfield Retirement Center, Northfield, MN
July 28 Bridge Square, Northfield, MN
July 29 Collaboration with Heart of the Beast, Saint Paul, MN
July 31 First Baptist Church, Saint Paul, MN
July 31 International Festival, Eden Prairie, MN
July 31 Boyd Park, St. Paul, MN
