By Doug Hecox
The expanse of Wyoming’s clear skies, vast plains and quiet nights forms a perfect backdrop for the University of Wyoming’s most talented student singers. Led by Director of Choral Activities Nicole Lamartine, UW’s choirs have earned praise from around the nation—and are poised for even greater things in the years ahead. Associate Professor Lamartine is a noted singer in her own right, having been a backup singer for Barry Manilow and Linda Ronstadt, as well as performing with Conspirare, a Grammy-nominated professional vocal group.
“I love what the students teach me,” she says. “Helping them discover music helps me rediscover it. I love watching the amazement in their eyes and the sense of shared creativity and purpose in a choir. The camaraderie is very powerful.”
Emily Morley, a soprano from tiny Basalt, Colo., was a member of Lamartine’s prestigious and highly competitive Collegiate Chorale for five years until graduating May 2015 with a degree in music education. She counts performances in Seattle, Wash., and those with symphonies and well-known conductors and composers as highlights but says her favorite was the annual Collegiate Chorale by Candlelight concerts at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Laramie, Wyo.
“It always amazes me how educational and inspiring it is to share one’s music with another human,” she says.
UW’s offerings include Collegiate Chorale, the Singing Statesmen, Bel Canto Women’s Choir, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Laramie/UW Civic Chorus and the student-led a capella Happy Jacks. In addition to Lamartine leading choral groups, Assistant Professor Holly Dalrymple directs Bel Canto and the Civic Chorus, and Visiting Assistant Professor Ben Markley directs the Vocal Jazz Ensemble.
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