Lee Kesselman
Lee Kesselman brings his talents as a composer, choral conductor and speaker Saturday, April 20, to Northern Illinois University.
Kesselman leads a workshop as part of the Working With Children’s Voices series from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Room 171 of the Music Building.
The workshop is free and open to the public. Funding was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts as part of the Arts Education in American Communities program.
The workshop will be of special interest to choral directors, especially those who deal with children’s voices, as well as music education students and those who are interested in children’s choral music. The CSA Children’s Choir will be featured as a teaching choir during the workshop.
Four CPDU credits are available for teachers attending the workshop.
This semester, Kesselman has shared his talents as a composer with the CSA Children’s Choir. He has composed a piece for the choir, which will be premiered at the ensemble’s spring recital at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 15. The piece – “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” – is based on a poem by Emily Dickinson.
Kesselman will rehearse the commissioned piece with the choir at a rehearsal from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 17. This rehearsal, also in Room 171 of Music Building, is open to the public.
Director of choral activities at College of DuPage since 1981, Kesselman is a conductor, pianist, teacher and award-winning composer. He founded and directs the New Classic Singers. A member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, Kesselman’s compositions have been widely published.
The CSA Children’s Choir is directed by Mary Lynn Doherty, who is on the faculty of the NIU School of Music. The choir was founded in 2008 and provides area children ages 7 to 15 with the opportunity to develop their musical skills through the study and performance of high quality choral music.
For more information, call (815) 753-1450.
