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Melanie DeMoreMelanie DeMore is a Vocal Activist and one of the most outstanding vocal artists of today helping to preserve the African American Folk Tradition through song and Gullah stick pounding. She was the subject of a documentary called 'Stick and Pound which showcases this tradition.
Melanie has a career spanning 30 years dedicated to teaching, lecturing, mentoring, conducting, directing and inspiring children and adults about the power of song as social and political change. Melanie is a sought after presenter, conductor and soloist at national and international choral and music festivals, including Festival 500 in NewFoundland, Canada and Chorus America. She is also sought after as a song/prayer facilitator, creating spontaneous choirs for The Trinity Institute, The Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society and the Powell Foundation, as well as many varied spiritual and faith based organizations. Melanie is adjunct faculty at the California Institute for Integral Studies, lead teaching artist for CalPerformances at UC Berkeley, a featured presenter for SpeakOut! the Institute for Social and Cultural Change and the Artistic Conductor of The Oakland Children’s Community Choir with Living Jazz. She was a founding member of the Grammy nominated Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, and has had the pleasure of sharing the stage with such varied artists as Odetta, Richey Havens, Pete Seeger, the Trinity Choir, MUSE Cincinatti Women's Chorus and many others. Melanie DeMore is a singer/songwriter, composer, conductor and vocal activist, who believes in the power of voices raised together. She says: “A song can hold you up when there seems to be no ground beneath you." |