VOX Femina Los Angeles Receives Music Education Partnership Grant from Chorus America
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 26, 2022
Los Angeles, Calif. - VOX Femina Los Angeles is honored to receive a Music Education Partnership Grant from Chorus America in the amount of $30,000.The inaugural grant was awarded to a total of 21 organizations across the U.S. and Canada. The grant supports collaborative projects between community organizations and elementary, middle, or junior high schools, and is designed to increase access to choral music education and uphold the principles of access, diversity, equity, and inclusion. VOX’s application was reviewed by a team of 30 panelists, as well as 12 community advisors with decisions based on the needs of the region that the grant program will serve. VOX will use the funds from this grant to start a school-based initiative around the Justice Choir Songbook, working with students on the history and cultural significance of music as a form of protest and teaching songs from the songbook which will be performed by students in a final concert.
​
“We have much work to do,” says VOX Founding Artistic Director Dr. Iris S. Levine, “But I am proud that VOX is a recipient of this fantastic grant and am so very excited about our future!”
​
“My jaw hit the floor when we discovered we were one of only seven recipients in the Southwest US to have received this grant, but I think that just speaks to the quality of the proposed program. I am looking forward to working with Chorus America to explore how we can use the fantastic Justice Choir Songbook to engage young people not just in music making, but also in participating in their communities and learning how to use their voices for a cause they believe in,” added Executive Director Rebecca Wink.
VOX will hire a new part-time staff member to oversee the administration of and plan the curriculum for this new program in the fall of 2022, and roll out the pilot program in the spring of 2023. The Justice Choir program will be added to VOX’s existing education programs including the Concert for Youth, the High School Treble Choir Festival, and the Choral Scholar programs.
About VOX Femina Los Angeles
VOX Femina Los Angeles is a women’s ensemble dedicated to the performance of quality choral literature, with an emphasis on music by women composers. Through music, VOX aims to create a world that affirms the worth and dignity of every person. The chorus was founded in 1997 by Artistic Director Dr. Iris S. Levine. VOX Femina first appeared on stage as guest artists with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, and very quickly established itself as one of the premier women’s choruses in the United States, with a demonstrated ability to perform a highly eclectic repertoire. The ensemble actively fulfills its mission through a vigorous schedule of performances, touring and educational outreach. VOX Femina has demonstrated its support and encouragement of living composers through the commissioning of more than 50 new works.
​
Dr. Iris S. Levine, Founder and Artistic Director, is nationally recognized for her excellence in choral conducting. Through her extensive experience with women’s choral literature, and innovative concert programming, Dr. Levine has charted VOX Femina on an impressive 25-year journey, building its prominence in the choral community by way of numerous appearances at the American Choral Directors Association and Chorus America conventions, and morethan300 appearances throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada.
​
Dr. Levine is the Special Assistant to the President at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona. Dr. Levine served as Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dean of the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences, Interim Dean of the College of Education and Integrative Studies, and Department Chair and Professor of Music at Cal Poly Pomona. As faculty, she conducted the Kellogg Chamber Singers, and taught Beginning Conducting, Choral Conducting and Music Education courses. Dr. Levine earned her Doctorate in Choral Music from the University of Southern California and a Masters degree in Choral Conducting from Temple University in Philadelphia.
For more information, contact: Joanna Mitchell: 310-922-0025vfla@voxfemina.org