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February 23-26, 2022 Raleigh, North Carolina

Signature Quartet professional singers from around the United States have
thriving national and international solo careers and a
love for vocal chamber music, and focus primarily on
presenting early and new music. In addition to perfor-
mances and artistic residencies, the ensemble engages in
creative educational outreach to audiences and students,
particularly in communities of color, and promotes the
study, research, performance, and recording of music
from various eras with special attention to the intersec-
tion of arts and social justice.

Arianne Abela is director of the choral
program at Amherst College. Abela re-
cently served on conducting faculty at
Signature Quartet is an ensemble that enjoys creat- Wayne State University in Detroit, MI,
ing barbershop harmonies and singing with their unique and is founder and director of the Detroit
“Barber Soul” sound. This South Florida quartet per- Women’s Chorus and Detroit Justice Choir, ensembles
forms a variety of musical genres including Soul, R&B, dedicated to social justice and community empower-
Pop, and Jazz. Each member had an introduction to ment. Abela received her doctorate in conducting from
four-part harmony through youth outreach programs the University of Michigan, an MM from Yale Universi-
sponsored by the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS). ty, and BA from Smith College. She sings professionally
Signature Quartet has been together since September of in ensembles across the United States and Canada.
2013. They are the 2015 Sunshine District Champions
as well as the current BHS International Quartet Cham-
pions. Members are Paul Phillip Saca, Tenor; Daniel P. Oakwood University
Cochran, Lead; Dan Walz, Bass; and Will Rodriguez,
Baritone. The Aeolians

Friday Night Concert

Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble

The Aeolians of Oakwood University was original-
ly organized in 1946. Since its inception, the choir has
toured extensively, performing at venues throughout the
United States and internationally. Aeolian performances
The Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble presents vocal present a repertoire of choral music that ranges from

music with the highest artistic excellence while celebrat- the Baroque era to the twenty-first century. They have
ing racial, ethnic, and gender diversity. Each of the nine become an authoritative exponent of Negro spirituals

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2022 Volume 62 Number 5 61