Home Law School News Professor Mansfield composes piece for Heartland Youth Choir

Professor Mansfield composes piece for Heartland Youth Choir

Cathy Lesser Mansfield

The Heartland Youth Choir will soon be premiering a piece Professor Cathy Lesser Mansfield, professor of law at Drake University Law School, wrote for them. The World Songs concert will be held on Sunday, May 11 at Drake’s Sheslow Auditorium at 4:30 p.m.

“In 2012 I asked the children who sing with Heartland Youth Choir in Des Moines, Iowa to tell me what music means to them,” says Lesser Mansfield. “Their responses – deep, funny, truthful and poignant – form the words to this song, which is dedicated to them and to all the children all over the world who find meaning and comfort in choral music and their choirs.”

Lesser Mansfield is no stranger to music OR composing. In 2008, Mansfield’s “The Sparks Fly Upward” was performed here in Des Moines. In 2013, excerpts of the same opera were performed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Holocaust Commemoration.

The Heartland Youth Choir, founded by Barbara Sletto in 2003, provides a performance-based program for youth, emphasizing musical literacy and character development. Heartland Youth Choir provides a unique opportunity for children of diverse backgrounds with a particular aptitude in vocal music to explore that interest beyond their school setting. Quality literature from all styles and periods form the foundation for this exploration.

Tickets are available by calling the Heartland Youth Choir office at 515-221-3922.