Minneapolis college choir
MUSC 1310 (available for credit and non-credit participation as well as through Continuing Education.)
Director: Liz Pauly
Welcome to the Minneapolis college choir!
Rehearsals begin August 26th.
Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:00 - 1:15
Meet in Fine Arts 2700 on the Minneapolis College Campus.
If you wish to join choir for credit, visit our online course catalog and register for MUSC 1310.
If you are a student, staff or faculty member and want to join choir, but don't need or want college credit, please contact me directly by email. If you are a community member, you can join too. Find out more through Minneapolis College Continuing Education and Workforce Development.
My school contact information (email, etc.) can be found on my campus directory page.
For more information about the choir, visit the Minneapolis College Choir website.
Meet your director
Welcome and Hello! I'm Liz Pauly, choir director at Minneapolis College. I am passionate about choir and I suspect that you are too.
Along with teaching and conducting, I am a professional singer, and have been fortunate enough to have performed with some incredible groups such as The Dale Warland Singers, The Oregon Bach Festival, VocalEssence and currently The Minnesota Chorale.
In terms of my educational and professional background, I earned my B.A. in Theatre from Viterbo University, then went on for my M.E.P.D. in Choral and General Music Education at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse, and followed up with an M.A. and D.M.A in Vocal Performance at the University of Minnesota.
Sometimes choir members wonder what to call me. You are welcome to call me Liz, but if you are uncomfortable with that, you may call me Dr. Liz or Dr. Pauly - I'm fine with any of those variations. My pronouns are she/her/hers.*
If you would like a little more info, you can check out my bio page.
About the Choir
The Minneapolis College Choir is made up of members of the Minneapolis College community who love to sing. No previous musical background is required for membership in this chorus, and there is no need to audition. The choir is open to all singers who are willing to work hard, love singing, and love to sing with others.
Over the years, the Choir has been able to collaborate with wonderful choirs such as The Minnesota Chorale, Cantus, StreetSong and the South African group 29:11. Guest artists have included flutist Julie Johnson, master accordionist DeeAnna Langley, multi-instrumentalist Jim Parker and percussionist Ricardo Bennett-Guzman.
The Choir performs music from across the globe, reflecting the diversity of the Minneapolis College campus. While music from the Western art music tradition holds a significant place within the choirs’ repertoire, performances are infused with folk, world, pop, jazz and Gospel traditions. And the Choir has had the opportunity to premier new choral works, including A Glimmering Girl by David Evan Thomas and Good Yule by DeeAnna Langley.
listen to Us
You will find a few recordings of us in the videos below. We hope this gives you an idea of the kinds of music that we do and the kinds of experiences we have! For an even deeper dive into our music, please click the link below!
A Place called home
This video is from the rehearsal immediately before our concert with Cantus at Antonello Hall in Minneapolis on April 7, 2016. We were so excited to perform with this internationally acclaimed professional ensemble!
Singing for stress relief
The choir tries to sponsor one or two community singing events every year, where Minneapolis College students and community members can simply walk in and sing without any rehearsal. Here are a few video clips from one of our events.
Love Is Love Is Love
In the spring of 2021, we created a virtual choir with the combined choirs from Anoka-Ramsey, Minneapolis, Minnesota State - Fergus Falls, Normandale, North Hennepin and Riverland Community Colleges within the Minnesota State system. Despite the hard times of the pandemic, it was wonderful to have the chance to work with our lovely colleagues.
what TO EXPECT IN CHOIR
Rehearsals will begin on August 26th.
The choir rehearsal times are Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:00 - 1:15 in Fine Arts room 2700.
There will be a few other dates to put in your calendars. I will provide the choir handbook with dates the first time we meet.
If you are registered for credit, there will be a few assignments along with rehearsals. You will access these assignments through D2L Brightspace. There will be a welcome message on the homepage of the course. Just follow the instructions in the announcement to get started.
what you can expect from me
I will take creative approaches to music making.
I will provide experiences that are meaningful, joyful and musical.
I will provide experiences that will help you grow as a musician.
I will treat you with dignity and respect and be flexible to support your individual needs.
I will keep my sense of humor.
what i will expect from you
You will strive to be an active participant in choir and strive to meet due dates (if registered for credit).
You will maintain an open line of communication with me so I understand how to support you.
You will strive to regularly contribute to choir collaborations to ensure that all of us have a great experience.
You will treat your peers with dignity and respect.
You will be open to new ways of making music, and new ways of thinking about choir.
You will keep your sense of humor.
materials you need to get started
Choir music card - All choir members should purchase online at the college store.
Commitment to Anti-Racism
The murder of George Floyd in May of 2020, followed by the murder of Daunte Wright less than a year later have placed the Twin Cities at the heart of our nation’s racial reckoning. Our campus has dedicated itself to anti-racism, and the Choir is committed to being collaborators and accomplices on this journey. To this end, the Choir has made songs from The Justice Choir Songbook and the We Rise Songbook part of their regular repertoire. Links to both books can be found below. Some of the repertoire we sing "on repeat" include More Waters Rising from We Rise, and Lift Every Voice and Sing, Resilience and Love Is Love Is Love from Justice Choir, in case you want to get a jump on learning this music. In addition, decisions in performances, repertoire, etc. are made with an anti-racist lens.
Music REsources
The resources below are free, and will include some of the music that we will sing in choir. Download them and look them over - I think you will be amazed by the richness of the offerings here.
The Justice choir Songbook
This wonderful resource was imagined and started right here in the Twin Cities. This is free, and all music contained in it is licensed under the Creative Commons license, but this link will take you to a Paypal site where you can choose to donate a small amount to keeping this book growing. Donation is optional but appreciated.
We Rise Songbook
In the words of the creators of this amazing resource, the We Rise songbook "draws on a rich history of social movement music, both old and new. From Spirituals to Labor songs, from Freedom Songs of the Civil Rights Movement to the music rising up from our struggles today, this compilation of movement music is meant to give people ways to join. To remember. To affirm. To honor. To rage. To celebrate. To practice new ways of being in relationship with one another and the earth. To envision and create a world that is just and habitable for future generations."
Course Access
Resources and assignments for choir members enrolled for credit will be provided on D2L. Members not enrolled for credit will not need D2L access.
Access to D2L begins August 26th.
one last thing
During the pandemic I took part in Eric Whitacre's most recent virtual choir, Virtual Choir 6 - Sing Gently. I joined a choir made up of 17,572 singers from all over the globe. And no, I can't find my picture, but you'll see my name in the credits. I thought you all might appreciate this.
Image credits
Banner image: Liz Pauly.
Instructor Bio Image: Mitch Thomas
About the choir: Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash
Index cards: Image by strichpunkt from Pixabay
Human Heart: Image by Minneapolis College Marketing