NORTHERN TODAY 12 FALL 2021 News | NORTHERN STATE UNIVERSI TY OR NORTHERN STATE University’s Drs. Darci Bultema and Audrey Miller, what started as an effort to make a difference has grown into them shining a spotlight on music by underrepresented artists. They are also gaining global attention for their project, “Songs of Inclusivity,” which won Northern’s 2021 Nora Staael Evert Research Award. Bultema, professor of music-voice/opera, and Miller, associate professor of clarinet/music, were both chosen for highly competitive South Dakota Arts Council Artist Fellowships for work related to this project. They were also selected to present and perform at three prestigious worldwide conferences. The trio now plans to record an album of their inclusive works in a professional studio, which could lead to representation by a major label. They will present a prealbum release performance on the NSU campus in spring 2022. “Songs of Inclusivity” is a recital performance of songs based on works by women, African-American and LGBTQIA+ poets written specifically for the Virinca Trio, which includes Bultema, Miller, and pianist Dr. Philip Everingham. Everingham, of Columbus, Ohio, is a longtime recital and opera collaborator with Bultema, including collaboration at the Barcelona Festival of Song in Spain in 2018. The Virinca Trio’s mission has been to perform rare and under-served repertoire and champion works from traditionally marginalized voices, as well as to commission works from American composers. With origins in the Esperanto international language as well as Sanskrit, “virinca” (vee-REEN-cha) loosely means the creator, God, and all the creator’s followers and believers. Commissioned Composers For “Songs of Inclusivity,” the Virinca Trio has commissioned a total of 17 songs by four composers. All of the songs are accessible to both students and professionals in the field. Pictured, left to right, are Drs. Philip Everingham, Audrey Miller and Darci Bultema. (Photo credit: Carrie Wegleitner, 2017 NSU alum, B.A. Graphic Design) MAK I NG A D I FFERENCE THROUGH MUS I C Bultema, Miller win Nora Staael Evert Research Award for ‘Songs of Inclusivity’ The first three composers they commissioned are: New York-based composer Richard Pearson Thomas, who wrote his own music and lyrics; Aberdeen University Civic Symphony Director Dr. Christopher Stanichar, who composed songs based on poetry by Sara Teasdale, Emily Dickinson, Christina Rossetti and Elizabeth Barrett Browning; and Jonathan Bailey Holland, whose songs were based on the work of African American poets such as Langston Hughes and Rita Dove. The Virinca Trio will receive their fourth and final commission on March 1 from Minneapolis-based composer Jocelyn Hagen, who will base her songs on the work of Pakistani poet Noor Unnahar. The trio will premiere Hagen’s work in July 2022 at the National Association of Teachers of Singing conference in Chicago. That’s only the latest example of the farreaching recognition the trio has achieved for their efforts. Stanichar’s commission premiered on the NSU campus, but Bultema and Miller premiered Thomas’ work with the composer at the piano at the International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest 2019 and Holland’s work at ClarinetFest 2021. “Internationally, we’re being recognized for these commissions we have done,” Bultema said. On the state level, they received the same Artist Fellowship, but in separate years. This competitive Arts Council program recognizes artists of exceptional talent, assisting them in further developing their artistic careers. Going forward, they have interest from a record label, but in order to represent them, they need the recordings, Bultema F
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