HCC Welcomes New Singers

Addition of six new singers to Northeast Indiana’s only professional chorus.

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September 18, 2006 - FORT WAYNE, IN. The Heartland Chamber Chorale (HCC) has added six new vocalists for its Tenth Anniversary Season, which begins Saturday, Oct. 28 (2006) at Plymouth Congregational Church. New HCC choristers are: Heather Hutchison and Katie Kinsey, sopranos; Patricia Kennedy, alto; Nick Reynolds, tenor; and Justin Heflin and Eric Miller, baritones. The addition of these six professional singers brings the total complement of singers in HCC to 26.

In announcing the new members, HCC music and executive director Robert Nance noted, “Since our inception in 1997, we have regularly auditioned singers from around the region. We have also provided in-service training for the members of the Chorale each season, which has consistently improved the skills of the ensemble and raised the bar for vocalists who wish to become a member of the HCC. Each year we find the quality of applicants to be better than previous years, and the inductees for our 10th anniversary are definitely among the finest in the region. They are wonderful additions to the HCC.”

The new singers include Heather Hutchison, who sings soprano, is a native of Ohio who earned a degree in vocal performance from Bluffton University (Ohio). Katie Kinsey is a native of Warsaw, and has performed with her high school and college choirs. She earned a degree from Anderson University. Dr. Patricia Kennedy returns to Fort Wayne and HCC after serving as assistant professor of music at the College of Saint Rose (New York) where she taught choral conducting and choral methods. Nick Reynolds (tenor) holds a bachelor’s degrees in vocal performance from IPFW and communications from Manchester College. Justin Heflin is from Indianapolis and studied vocal performance and opera at Anderson University. Eric Miller is a graduate of Ball State with a bachelor’s degree in music.

Heartland Chamber Chorale programs are provided with support from:
Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne (a local agency), the Indiana Arts Commission (a state agency), and the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency).

The Heartland Chamber Chorale is an independent, professional vocal ensemble-in-residence on the campus of the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana.