WAGANAKISING ESHKINIIGIJIK

(Young People from the Place of the Crooked Tree)
Joe Lucier, Youth Coordinator

Waganakising Eshkiniigijik is a group of young Odawa from Northern Michigan. This group was formed to help us each walk a good path the way the creator intended. We strive to bring out the best in each other as we unite and express ourselves through the customs and culture of our ancestors. The Eshkiniigijik participate in activities that stimulate personal growth, mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. We use the Medicine Wheel and the Seven Grandfather Teachings as a guide to a successful way of life. By making healthy decisions today we will positively impact the next seven generations of young Waganakising Odawa.

Most of us are members of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians or Ottawa people. We have been in this geographical area of Michigan long before the Europeans arrived here on Turtle Island, known as Canada, North and South America. The Odawa were a migratory people who spent the winters in southern Michigan and the summers in the northern tip of the Lower Peninsula and in the Upper Peninsula as well. Each spring, Odawa people returned from our winter homes to our northern homelands to collect maple syrup, to fish and to plant crops. When we weren’t tending our gardens or doing our day-to-day chores, we gathered fruits, herbs, medicines, as well as any other food products we could dry and put away to be used during the long winter months.

Today, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians are a federally recognized tribe with over 4000 members. A large number of our people live in Charlevoix and Emmet Counties. Our Tribe is governed by a nine member Tribal Council who serve staggered terms. The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians presently employs over 100 full and part-time employees. The historically delineated reservation area, located in the north-western part of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, encompasses approximately 336 square miles of land within the two counties. The largest communities within the reservation boundaries are Petoskey, Harbor Springs, and Charlevoix.

The Welcoming Ceremony has been specifically created for the Children of the World in Harmony Festival. The groups participating in the Welcoming Ceremony and other festival events are:
a. Women’s Hand Drum Group – The Woodland Singers of the Little Traverse Bay Area
b. Men’s Drum Group – Spirit Lake
c. Flutist – Aaron Wayne Otto
d. Young Male Hand Drummers – Glen Joy and Jeremy Joy
e. Young Odawa Dancers

The the Medicine Wheel is one of the most important teachings in Odawa culture. There are several teachings, such as the four directions (north, south, east and west), the four colors of races (red, black, yellow and white), the four stages of life (spiritual, mental, physical and emotional), and the four sacred medicines (Sweet Grass, Cedar, Sage, and Tobacco). From our ancestors, we are taught that everything in life is circular. We are one within the circle of life. The Medicine Wheel teaches us that the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects must be in balance in order to maintain a healthy mind, spirit and body.
2 To cherish Knowledge is to know WISDOM (Nbwaakaawin), To know LOVE (Zaagidiwin) is to know peace, To honor all of creation is to have RESPECT (Mnaadendiwin), BRAVERY (Aakde’win) is to face the foe with integrity, HONESTY (Gwekwaadziwin) in facing a situation is to be brave, HUMILITY (Dbadendizwin) is to know yourself as a sacred part of creation, TRUTH (Debwewin) is to know all these things.

DANCERS WITHOUT BORDERS

North Central Michigan
Jody Adgate and Sylvia Jania, Directors

Dancers Without Borders is a dance company created especially for this festival. Accomplished dancers from various schools and community dance organizations were recruited to form this troupe showcasing the spirit of American Dance. The dancers are honored to participate in this international event promoting peace, friendship, creativity and culture.

Jody Adgate is regarded as one of the finest dance professionals in our region. She is an enthusiastic dancer, choreographer, and mentor to hundreds of local children in the Great Lakes Area, Jody has studied jazz dance with Gus Gioradano and Joe Temaine, African dance with Titos Sampa, and modern dance at the University of Arizona. She has taught k-12th grade dance at Concord Academy’s Art Schools, choreographer for Visions of Peace Drum & Dance Company, and now volunteers with the Boyne City Drama Department. VSA Arts of Michigan has also recognized Jody for her abilities working with students & adults with disabilities

Sylvia Jania studied in New York City with internationally renowned dance companies; Erick Hawkins, Martha Graham and Alvin Ailey and was a Member of the Whole Art Theater in Kalamazoo for 6 yrs. In Chicago, she worked at the Steppenwolf Theater and Blue Rider Theater. She performed with Deborah Hay and Natsu Nakijima from Tokyo and toured with Partners in Mime throughout Chicago Public Schools teaching and performing. She has taught dance and theater at Concord Academy in Michigan for the past 15 years. She pioneered creative ideas and opened the door to contemporary and cultural dance in Northern Michigan. Sylvia has a a BFA in Contemporary and theatrical dance

SCHOLA CANTORUM DE MEXICO

Mexico City DF, Mexico
Alfredo Mendoza, Founding Director

Schola Cantorum de Mexico is one of the leading Mexican children’s choirs. The choir has performed many recitals both in Mexico and abroad, has appeared in several opera performances and symphony concerts, and may be heard on thirteen CD’s. Group members have joined national and international choral groups, such as Niños Cantores de México and Voices Without Borders, touring México, Cuba, Germany, Hungary, China, Vietnam and the United States. At the Cumbre Tajín 2001 International Festival, the choir shared the stage with the Vienna Boys Choir. During the last years the children have performed with the Ópera de Bellas Artes, the México City Orchestra, the National Polytechnic Institute Orchestra and the Acapulco Symphony Orchestra. In 2008, thanks to a grant by the Mexico City Culture Foundation, SCM has organized the Mexico City Children’s Choir and the Mexico City Children’s Opera Company.

Alfredo Mendoza is an active promoter of children’s and youth choral singing He is a teacher at the National School of Music (National Autonomous University of Mexico). He also founded Niños Cantores de la Escuela Nacional de Música, Schola Cantorum de México, and, with Pablo Puente, Niños Cantores de México. Mendoza has been co-organizer of several national and international children’s choral festivals. Many have been in connection with the International Society for Children´s Choral & Performing Arts and the Romano Picutti Choral Society.

MONGOLIAN CHILDREN’S PALACE YOUTH “TALENT” DANCING ENSEMBLE

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Jargalsaikhan Chultemsuren, Director

The Mongolian Children’s Palace Youth “Talent” Dancing Ensemble is a highly-acclaimed children's performance group whose aim is to foster artistic excellence in children. This group comprises the best students aged between kindergarten and junior high school at the Mongolia Children's Palace. Some of its graduates have gone on to become top performers and academics in Mongolia. This highly acclaimed group has toured extensively in Asia including the 2007 ISCCPA International Children’s Choir Festival in Hong Kong and is looking forward to its tour to the United States. At the festival, the group will perform folk and other dance as well as traditional stringed instrumental music. http://www.pmis.gov.mn/child/dance_en.htm

Jargalsaikhan Chultemsuren is an Honored Teacher of Mongolia. She graduated from Music and Dance College, majored in classic dance in 1972 and Culture and Art University and is a ballet-master. She has been teaching permanently for 29 years since 1980 until now.

ROLNICKA PRAHA CHILDREN'S CHOIR

Prague, Czech Republic
Karel Virgler, Artist Director

Rolnicka Praha (Jingle Bell in English) is an outstanding children´s choir from Prague, Czech Republic. The choir was founded in 1978 by its director, Karel Virgler. Rolnicka performs yearly at 30-40 concerts including the Prague Spring Festival and abroad. They take part in diverse, unique projects and cooperate with orchestras, notable soloists and many other choirs. Rolnicka also invites choirs and orchestras from abroad to Prague for joint performances. They have performed in Germany, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Morocco, Spain, Denmark, Austria, Slovenia, Italy and France. This will be their second tour to the United States. The first was in 1999 to Arizona. They have received a number of international choir competition awards as well. The Choir‘s activities are supported by the City of Prague. Web page www.rolnicka-praha.cz

Karel Virgler, the Director and Founder of Rolnicka Praha, has studied music at the Pedagogical University in Plzen. In 1978, he founded. in Prague, the children´s choir Rolnicka. He has inspired thousands of children to love music and singing. He has created his own method of musical education for beginning singers. It connects musical theory with practical singing education.

YIP’S CHILDREN’S CHOIR

Hong Kong, China
Sincere Yip, Associate Music Director

The Yip’s Children’s Choir is internationally renowned for its excellence and superb musical training for young voices. The Choir is proudly regarded as a cultural ambassador for Hong Kong. The Choir was founded in 1983 by Dr. Yip Wai-hong, D.M.A., M.H., a highly revered expert in the field of children’s music education. The repertoire ranges from Renaissance to Modern compositions include religious works, art songs, folk music, jazz, pop and Broadway musical selections. Since 1984, the Choir has toured over 35 countries in six continents, including Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, Russia, and throughout the Americas. The children have sung in many of the most famous concert venues in the World. On July 1, 1997, Yip’s Children’s Choir was the only children’s choir invited to perform at the hand-over ceremony of Hong Kong to China. The Choir has made more than 25 recordings.
http://www.yipshk.com

Sincere Yip is currently the Associate Music Director of the Yip’s Children’s Choral and Performing Arts Centre, the conductor of the Yip’s Children’s Choir senior and overseas concert tour group, and the Artistic & Music Director of the Yip’s Children’s Musical Theater. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a Master of Arts Degree in Music Education in 1982, and received her Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Pedagogy from the University of North Texas in 1981. She was also granted the Licentiate of the Trinity College of Music, London (L.T.C.L.) and the Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music, London (L.R.S.M.) both in piano performance in 1978 and 1979 respectively.

KALAMAZOO CHILDREN’S CHOIR

Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
Fred Sang, Director

The Kalamazoo Children's Chorus was formed in 1981, to provide an advanced choral opportunity for children in the Kalamazoo area and to offer an opportunity for children to explore and develop an appreciation of choral music in all its variety. Since its inception, KCC has been a strong presence in the artistic life of the Kalamazoo area. They have appeared in four operas, have sung with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, the Kalamazoo Singers and the Kalamazoo Oratorio Society.

The choir has performed at the International Children's Choral Festival in Canterbury, at St. James Cathedral, and the Holy Trinity Church in London. They also performed in Paris in Notre Dame Cathedral and in Prague, Czech Republic. The Kalamazoo Children's Chorus is celebrating it's 26th season and continues to provide a challenging musical environment for its choristers and a rich heritage of choral singing in the Kalamazoo area. http://www.kalamazoochildrenschorus.org/index.htm

Fred Sang received his graduate and undergraduate training at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI. He has taught here and abroad in a career spanning three decades. He is in his ninth year as Artistic Director of the Kalamazoo Children's Chorus. Under his guidance the chorus has grown from two to five ensembles serving over 200 choristers. His choirs have performed throughout Europe and North America and maintain an active performance schedule with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Kalamazoo Oratorio Society,the Kalamazoo Singers as well as their own concert season. Mr. Sang has been recognized eight times in "Who's Who Among America's Teachers". Mr. Sang is a sought after choral clinician and adjudicator throughout the Midwest and is the Chancel Choir Director of the Milwood United Methodist Church in Kalamazoo.

"OlTOILO LOO NKERA" "CHILDREN VOICE"

Transmara District, Rift Valley Province in Western Kenya, near Masaai Mara Game Reserve.
Steven Ole Kiu, Music Teacher
Joseph Ole Momposhi, Group Leader
Job Legat, Director Kenya Choralfest

The Oitoilo Loo Nkera, Children Voice choir is comprised of children from different schools in the Transmara District in Kenya located on the edge of the Maasai Mara. They mainly present Maasai traditional songs and dances and sacred songs. The sacred songs are songs that are normally sung by women for prayers especially when there is prolonged drought or barrenness. The children sing in the African style because they are all Maasai children. This group represents Kenya’s national culture, the Massai culture and is an entirely African culture. This is their first tour. The tour is sponsored by Kenya Airlines and the Kenyan Tourism Bureau.

Joseph Ole Momposhi is the group leader is also the leaderof his own adult singing ensemble. He is also a minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Transmara district.

Steven Ole Kiu, is the music teacher Stephen ole Kiu is ateacher in one of the primary schools in the Transmara District in Maasai Land. He has been a teacher for twenty years and a head teacher for at least 10 years. For all those years his has been teachings music. Mr. Kiu has managed to take the schools in which he has been the teacher to the National level four times and he has many trophies. Ole Kiu is a Maasai by tribe. He also enjoys sports.

MARIACHI LOS REBELDES

Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Marcelina Guiterrez – Associate Director

Mariachi Los Rebeldes was formed five years ago in Phoenix, Arizona. The members delight in celebrating their cultural heritage. Their love of playing and singing Mariachi music brought them together as a group. While young in age and experience, the group reflects the wonder and excitement of the music they perform. Mariachi Los Rebeldes (Rebeldes means rebel) performs at fairs, festivals, parties, community events and international cultural events. Mariachi is a type of musical group, originally from Mexico. They usually dress in silver studded charro outfits with wide-brimmed hats who dress and play in a style typical of the Mexican state of Jalisco although the music is popular throughout the Americas. They have incorporated other styles of music which adds to their repertoire.

Marcelina Gutierrez, the Associate Director of Mariachi los Rebeldes, is the senior leader, mentor and the stage conductor of the group. She has nine years of Mariachi and other musical experiences designed. She plays Guitarron with the group.

ST MARYS CHILDREN’S CHOIR

St Marys, Ontario, Canada
Judith Bean, Artist Director

Founded in 1981, the St. Marys Children's Choir has become one of Canada's finest! The choir was created over two decades ago by Mrs. Eileen Baldwin and three other schoolteachers. They saw the need for a community children's choir that could offer the experience of fine choral music making, and also focus on musicianship, personal growth and the encouragement of a lifelong love of choral music. Presto is the senior treble choir, performing advanced-level repertoire and touring widely. In addition to choral techniques and a large repertoire, basic music theory is taught and vocal coaching is offered. These programs continue through all the treble choirs. Festival Youth Singers allows boys with changed or changing voices and girls over 16 to perform challenging SATB works. http://www.stmaryschildrenschoir.ca/

Rich Sumstad is the Conductor of the St Marys Children’s Choir, Festival Youth Singers (SATB) Division. Rich was the music department head at Nathan Hale High School in Seattle where his ensembles consistently took top honors at national and international festivals. Rich has also been the recipient of the following personal awards: 1998 Washington State Music Educator of the Year, 1999 Seattle School’s Golden Apple Award , 2000 Christa McCauliffe Excellence in Education Award, and was nominated four times for the A+ Award and most recently the Avon - Maitland District School Board Excellence in Education Award 2008.

LAWRENCE ACADEMY OF MUSIC CANTABLE CHOIR

Appleton, Wisconsin, USA
Karen L. Bruno, Artistic Director

Cantabile is a component of the Lawrence Academy of Music Girl Choir Program located in Appleton, Wisconsin. Its members represent the Fox Valley public, parochial, and home schools. Cantabile presents several performances annually, including local performances in conjunction with the Fox Valley Symphony and regional performances for state and district ACDA conventions and other public events. In 2002, Cantabile was the featured children’s choir in the staged premiere and recording of Dreaming Blue, a new opera composed by Libby Larson. Cantabile members have been invited twice to sing in Carnegie Hall as part of the National Children’s Choir. http://www.lawrence.edu/dept/acad_music/girl_choir.shtml

Karen L. Bruno, artistic director of the Lawrence Academy of Music Girl Choir program and conductor of Cantabile, its middle-school component, has taught at Appleton East (WI) High School, Oshkosh West (WI) High School. She previously taught choral and general music, grades K-12, at an international school in Senegal, West Africa.

VOICES WITHOUT BORDERS

International Festival Choir
Dr. Julian Ackerley, Conductor/Artistic Director

The Voices Without Borders (VWB) Choir, directed by Dr. Julian Ackerley, was first organized in 1999 by Dr. Jack Kukuk, as the American Youth Choir in order to represent the Americas at the International Society for Children’s Choral & Performing Arts’ (ISCCPA) Children of the World in Harmony Festival in Hong Kong, Beijing and Tanjin, China. The choir’s mission is to promote appreciation for and understanding of choral singing for children and youth and to develop international friendship and understanding through choral music and the other performing arts. The choir’s repertoire ranges from classical to spirituals to folk and contemporary music. In 2004, for the Children of the World in Harmony festival in China, the choir changed its name to Voices Without Borders Choir. This year’s choir is comprised of singers from ten countries and five states.

TUCSON ARIZONA BOYS CHORUS

Tucson, Arizona, USA
Julian Ackerley, Director

Director of the 2009 Voices Without Borders Choir is Dr. Julian Ackerley who is also Director of the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus since 1980. Several of the Tucson Boys Chorus members are also members of this year/s Voices Without Borders Choir. Julian Ackerley has achieved national and international acclaim as an accomplished conductor and administrator of children’s choral and performing arts organizations. He has conducted the International Children’s Festival Chorus, American Youth Choir and Voices Without Borders at festivals in China, Mexico, South America and Europe.

Dr. Ackerley has taken the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus on performance tours spanning five continents and over 20 countries. Under his direction, the Chorus has made numerous recordings and has collaborated with national symphony orchestras and opera companies. Arizona’s highest arts commendation, The Governor’s Arts Award, was presented to the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus. www.boyschorus.org

TEXAS GIRLS CHOIR

Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Debi Weir, Director

The Texas Girls' Choir was founded in 1962 by Shirley Thompson Carter with a belief that children's lives can be developed through the excellence of music. The Texas Girls' Choir was the first girls' choir to be incorporated in the United States. Over the past 46 years, more than 22,000 girls have passed through The Texas Girls' Choir Program.

By 1973 there had been many advances. At that time the choir purchased their permanent home at 4449 Camp Bowie Boulevard in Fort Worth, Texas. The choir had developed from 16 girls to 275 girls and 5 Choir levels. Other advances include an annual music clinic, an annual charm school, and leadership training. There is also an opportunity to be a part of one of 4 hand-bell choirs and a solo class which prepares girls for solos at school or in a choir performance.
The choir has toured 50 countries, and has toured every year overseas, since 1962. It is the most traveled choir in the United States. The choir has also performed at the White House six times since 1989.

Debi Weir is the Director of the Texas Girls Choir. http://www.texasgirlschoir.org/

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