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Class Details

Kelley Contreras Memorial Choir

$380.00

Available

All Regions

In-Person Specialty/Technique Classes

Ages

Sep

Wed

Dec

Wed

07:00

08:55 MT

Schedule Type Title: Wednesdays

Class Schedule: Weekly on Wednesdays / September 2 - December 16 / Concert December 9

Sessions: 16

Session Hours: 30.67

Virtual Meeting Link: N/A

Virtual Meeting ID: N/A

Virtual Meeting Passcode: N/A

Day of week: Wednesday

Instructor: Virginia Anderson, Elyse Midgyett, Roy Willey, and Stef Kull

Assigned Room: Daniels

Pricing: $15 School Support Fee included in this price

Swallow Hill Music
71 E YALE AVE
DENVER, CO 80210-5736

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Kelley Contreras Memorial Choir at Swallow Hill
Elyse Midgyett
Virginia Lynn Anderson
Barry Brown
Stef Kull
Roy Willey

Blend your voice with others to produce lush harmonies in the Swallow Hill Music Choir! The choir draws upon a diverse array of genres - including folk, jazz, pop, classical and more - to bring students together to help them discover their full musical potential both individually and as a group.

Swallow Hill faculty and family co-direct singers in ear training and sight reading strategies. They will also cover how to train and refine your voice for choral singing as well as opportunities for solos. No previous choir skills are necessary, just a desire to sing well and in harmony.

This is a 16 week class that meets on Wednesday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. with two additional performances at the end of the session. The final performance is Wednesday, April 15th. A minimum of 15 students is required for this class to run.

Kelley Contreras directed the Swallow Hill Choir for nearly 20 years, and taught countless people the beauty of singing together as she facilitated community and love! Kelley’s light continues to shine with her children and the hundreds of lives she touched as choir director, music minister, and teacher.

Help us get in tune by registering early!
To support our teachers and better accommodate the needs of our classes, we ask that students register at least 24 hours in advance of the class, lesson, and/or workshop.

Cost includes $15 School support fee. Learn more about that fee here.

Elyse Midgyett

VOICE

Elyse was born and raised in Denver and has worked in marketing and at the front desk at Swallow Hill. Now, in a teaching role and with some experience under her belt, it has brought her to this next step, as an instructor at Swallow Hill. She has also been involved in the Denver music scene since 2017 as a regular performer in many different groups. She teaches versatile singing within a multitude of genres, and can teach basic music theory. When she isn’t working, you can find her caring for plants, enjoying the outdoors, or trying to plan a good vacation.

First Concert:

What song could you listen to all day long? Be OK by Samoht

Favorite hangout? Lowry Beer Garden

What is your favorite thing about Swallow Hill, or your favorite Swallow Hill memory? My favorite things about Swallow Hill is its dedication to delivering high quality music to the masses and live music opportunities it shares with its employees. When I was on the marketing team I was able to attend every show in the botanic garden series and one beautiful evening, Judy Collins washed over the entire garden with her stunning folk voice in a rendition of Danny Boy and I couldn’t help but shed tears. It was so quiet as everyone around was in pure awe of the beauty. I was so glad to be a part of that.

To request an online lesson during Elyse's Yale availability, please contact the Front Desk - 303-777-1003 or [email protected].

Virginia Lynn Anderson

PIANO (SIMPLY MUSIC METHOD), VOICE (in-person only)

Virginia was born in Colorado and grew up on a dairy farm near Fort Lupton. Virginia was a music educator in the public school system when music and arts programs were being reduced – she then started teaching for Swallow Hill in 2000. For 21 years she has taught guitar to adults and children 7 and up. More recently her focus has been on teaching piano and voice – she also plays and teaches the recorder and the modern lyre.

Outside work, Virginia can be found traveling the world by rail and ship with her retired railroad engineer and dockworker husband. She likes to be outdoors – gardening, hiking, biking, swimming, or horseback riding – whenever possible.

First concert? An orchestral concert conducted by Antonia Brico

What’s a song you could listen to all day long? Down By the Riverside

Favorite Colorado hangout? My home!

What’s your favorite thing about Swallow Hill, or your favorite Swallow Hill memory? My favorite thing about Swallow Hill is sitting in a circle with people and sharing songs together. So many memories of great song moments have been had this way.

Looking for private lessons with Virginia? Click HERE for lesson availability at Yale and HERE for lesson availability online. To request an online lesson during Virginia's Yale availability (or vice versa), please contact the Front Desk - 303-777-1003 or [email protected].

Barry Brown

VOICE, PIANO/KEYBOARD

Barry is a born and raised Colorado performer and educator whose professional background spans the U.S., Canada, and Europe, including the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and fourteen years with the 17th Avenue All-Stars.

On both voice and piano, believes that music instruction is most effective when it is as unique as the student and offers an adaptive approach. He understands that a "leaned in" 5-year-old beginner, a budding musical theater performer, a budding singer-songwriter or band vocalist, and a 90-year-old hobbyist all require different tools and communication styles.

Barry teaches to the specific learning style and desires of each student, whether that's mastering a difficult audition piece or simply finding joy in playing favorite songs.

On piano, Barry emphasizes the playfulness of games and joy of discovery, using playing by ear or reading sheet music or chord charts. For voice students, Barry specializes in preparing singers and songwriters for live performances, finding the right keys for songs and getting them "stage-worthy."

When not performing music, Barry is a multidisciplinary artist. He is a four-time consecutive winner of the Denver Paper Fashion Show and a nationally award-winning Master Pumpkin Carver featured at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO - voted #1 Theme Park by USA Today.

First Concert?: Andraé Crouch and the Disciples.

What song could you listen to all day long? Anything by the Big Band era crooners, or the modern masters like Harry Connick Jr. and Michael Bublé.

Favorite hangout? Anywhere where the food is excellent and the conversation is deep.

What is your favorite thing about Swallow Hill? My favorite moments are when I’m on stage providing accompaniment or backup vocals for my students who dare to perform in public. There is a specific, exhilarating transformation that happens when a performer realizes they are actually doing it. Supporting them while they are on stage, giving what they have to give, is the BEST!

Stef Kull

PIANO/KEYBOARD

Teaching Style: Stef combines traditional music education concepts and theory with a lot of improvisation, especially in rock, folk, and blues styles.

Roy Willey

VOICE, AUDIO PRODUCTION

Denver native Roy Willey is a musician, teacher, and song leader specializing in Circle Singing and Vocal Improvisation. He’s studied intensively with some of the top names in the improv world, including Bobby McFerrin, Rhiannon, and Meredith Monk, as well as learning the art of community building through song in the Ubuntu Choir tradition. He performs regularly with the live-looping duo Loop2Loop, as well as with Ameya Vocal Improv Ensemble.

At Swallow Hill, his offerings include introductory singing, improv singing, and live looping, and he leads Circle Singing, Community Chorus and co-directs the Kelley Contreras Memorial Choir. When he’s not teaching or performing, you can find him hiking or gardening at home in the Lakewood neighborhood where he grew up.

First Concert? Van Halen — 1979, Balch Fieldhouse in Boulder

What song could you listen to all day long? “Sweet in the Mornin’ ” by Bobby McFerrin (or anything off his Medicine Music album.)

Favorite Denver hangout? Denver Botanic Gardens

What is your favorite thing about Swallow Hill? It’s the very definition of a music community. I love that any time I walk into the building, I find people of every age group and skill level, learning everything from Ukulele, to Tabla, to Blues Harp.

To add this class to your cart, please login to an existing account or create a new account.

Requirements: Min Age : 18yr

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Kelley Contreras Memorial Choir

Barry teaches to the specific learning style and desires of each student, whether that's mastering a difficult audition piece or simply finding joy in playing favorite songs.

First Concert?: Andraé Crouch and the Disciples.

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