Eastern Michigan University’s Men’s Choir will be hosting its first “Real Men Sing!” Festival on Friday, Oct. 2 in Pease Auditorium. Male singers of all ages from around the state will be coming together to learn and practice the art of voice.
Starting at 9:30 a.m., the all-day event will be open for male singers to register and gather with EMU’s Men’s Choir to rehearse the selected festival pieces. The pieces will be performed at Pease Auditorium for a concert following the festival. The concert will be at 7:30 p.m. and it will be open to the public.
“The idea is to support male singing across the whole profession because there never seems to be quite enough guys that want to participate,” said Director of Choral Activities Brandon Johnson. “We’re just doing it to encourage and to give them the idea that to be a singer is a great thing to do. It’s a wonderful thing that we share together and I want to support that.”
Johnson also added the idea is a way to break down the stereotype of male singers and how some young men perceive singing in the choir as not masculine.
The concert will include featured guests Measure for Measure, a community Men Chorus, a solo performance by Professor of Voice Robert Peavler and the festival choir which includes the men who attended the festival. Featured songs in the concert will be “The Word was God” by Rosephanye Powell, “Down in the Valley” by George Mead and “Brothers Sing On” by Edvard Grieg.
“Students will learn how fun it is to sing in a big choir of guys, how to deal with vocal issues that are specific for guys, and to also try to learn that singing is a lifelong adventure and something you can do your entire life,” said Johnson
This is a relaxed, fun-filled learning environment for singers and guests. The event is free, and students can earn Learning Beyond the Classroom credit for attending.
