City Voices needs your help to be able to continue our program! Donations and grants are down, and expenses to make sure we are safe are up! Your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate $5 or $500. Every little bit helps. (Facebook pays all the processing fees for you, so 100% of your donation goes directly to the nonprofit.) Click below to donate and help insuring access to quality music education for our amazing students!

Thank you in advance for your support!

https://www.facebook.com/donate/750578702206450/

Thank you to the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, for their support of our Music Theatre Methods class, taught online, through the Virtual Arts Experience Grant. Their backing has allowed us to continue providing excellent instruction to our students while keeping them safe!

The Fall Semester of City Voices began Tuesday, September 8!  

If you missed our Virtual Summer Recital – you can view it at https://www.facebook.com/cityvoicesdesmoines/videos/699016380681745/

AND: Please tune in for our newest video series “Celebrating Black Composers,” released every Monday on our Facebook and Instagram pages. This series will feature students performing songs by black composers of all different genres of music. We hope to shine a light on these often overlooked works and lift them up!

“For You There Is No Song,” by Leslie H. Adams, sung by Damaris Nelson

WE ARE EXCITED TO HAVE BEEN AWARDED A GRANT FROM VARIETY: THE CHILDREN’S CHARITY! THIS FUNDING WILL BE USED TO HELP BUILD A RECORDING STUDIO AT CITY VOICES!

CITY VOICES WAS THRILLED TO BE INVITED TO VIRTUALLY SING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM FOR THE IDC’S HALL OF FAME EVENT IN JULY 2020!

YOU CAN HELP OUR MISSION TO HELP LIFT UP THE YOUNG MUSICIANS IN OUR CITY!

CITY VOICES is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.
​All  contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

You may donate by PayPal here, or send your contribution to:

City Voices, 924 45th Street, Des Moines, IA 50312

Thank you!

WE ARE EXCITED TO HAVE BEEN NAMED A RECIPIENT OF A BRAVO GREATER DES MOINES CAPITAL PROJECT GRANT AWARD! THIS FUNDING WILL BE USED TO HELP BUILD A RECORDING STUDIO AT CITY VOICES! 

Our programs help students dream, nurture their interest in music, and access the resources they need to succeed. We are thankful that Bravo Greater Des Moines agrees!

WE ARE MONITORING THE CURRENT CORONAVIRUS CRISIS AND ARE ADJUSTING OUR OPERATIONS ACCORDINGLY.

ENRICHMENT CLASSES AS WELL AS SOME LESSONS HAVE TRANSITIONED TO INCLUDE REMOTE LEARNING, WITH INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS ARRANGING THE BEST PLATFORM FOR BOTH. WE ALSO HAVE INITIATED SOME IN-PERSON LESSONS, WITH PLASTIC SHIELDING, MASKING AND SUFFICIENT DISTANCING, AS WELL AS LIMITED ACCESS AND ENROLLMENT.

WE WILL CONTINUE TO WATCH DEVELOPMENTS, AND WILL KEEP STUDENTS AND TEACHERS UPDATED.

Check out our new video series “QuaranTunes!” Featuring the amazing Teaching Artists of City Voices and friends!          Enjoy episodes 1, 2, 3 & 4 – PLUS SOME BONUS VIDEOS – and stay tuned for more!

 

THANK YOU BRAVO GREATER DES MOINES

for awarding City Voices the 2020 Spotlight Award! Read about it here: 

Bravo Spotlight Award 2020

    

We are full to capacity! If you would like to sign up for the WaitList, you can do so here:  https://forms.gle/wWFECSS9gqQLLoCC7

Theory students visit the https://cityvoicesdesmoines.org/college-prep-music-theory/ page for assignments and information.

WELCOME!  City Voices is a progressive, community-centered, after-school tuition-free music program providing vocal and related music instruction to urban students with financial need. Since 2013, City Voices students have learned skills that have helped them earn 20 musical leads city-wide, 3 leads at the Des Moines Playhouse, 7 spots in the prestigious Iowa All-State Choir (25% of the city total during that time), and over $140,000 in arts scholarships to 16 different universities to study music. 

 

Jason Koromo (Hoover, ’18)

Taryn Cook (7, Brody) .

 

 

 

Annika Baker (Hoover, 11) sings “Running” from “Hot Mess in Manhattan” at the Summer 2019 City Voices recital.

Shaddai Johnson (Roosevelt, 11) sings “Chain of Love” at the Summer 2019 City Voices recital.

Owen Yoder (Lincoln, 11) sings “One Percent” from “String” at the Summer 2019 City Voices recital.

Amanda Eclatt (Brody, 8) sings “Love Me, Love Me Not” at the Spring 2019 City Voices recital.

Damaris Nelson (East, 10) sings “What I Did For Love” from “A Chorus Line” at the Spring 2018 City Voices recital.

Wondering what’s going on at City Voices? Check out this link to our calendar! https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=asrj6eth58dng3qmppftj2916c%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America%2FChicago“>http://

ALERT: WHEN DMPS CANCELS CLASSES, THERE WILL BE NO LESSONS AT CITY VOICES EXCEPT BY MUTUAL CONSENT OF TEACHER AND STUDENT. STAY SAFE!

We are members of the Berklee City Music Network.    https://www.berklee.edu/city-music-network/meet-network   

OUR MISSION: City Voices is a nonprofit organization that provides high quality, individualized voice instruction to underprivileged students in the Des Moines area. Helping students build these skills allows them to more effectively participate in vocal music opportunities around them, including their school and community programs. We also believe that, in doing so, we are mitigating inequalities, facilitating student access to experiences that are frequently out of reach due to a lack of financial resources.

Look around our site – we have lots going on!

Roosevelt Junior Demarius Fisher sings “Disappear” from “The Burnt Part Boys” at the City Voices Spring 2016 Recital.

City Voices students Heaven Booker & Kendall Bruce, and teachers Chris Powell & Larry Moore sang back-up for “Hamilton” star Leslie Odom, Jr. at the 2016 World Food Prize Ceremony.

Support City Voices by doing your shopping through AmazonSmile! For every purchase you make, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price directly to City Voices! Get your gift list fulfilled and support your local high school singers at the same time! http://smile.amazon.com/ch/90-0988104

City Voices also offers individual guitar lessons! If you want to sign up for guitar, go to Student Information, enter your information and check “Individual Guitar.” Your instructor will contact you! NOTE: we encourage you to also sign up for voice lessons – to do that, you must complete and return the form above.

Check out our YouTube channel at youtube.com/cityvoicesdsm. See some of our great singers sing greatly!

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING CITY VOICES:

THANK YOU TO BANKER’S TRUST FOR THEIR DONATION IN SUPPORT OF OUR 2020 SUMMER MUSIC ACADEMY!

to the Addam C. Medina Foundation for their support of our educational program!

to the Iowa Arts Council for their support of the 2020 Summer Music Academy!

to Polk County Board of Supervisors for supporting City Voices programming with a Community Betterment Grant!

to Prairie Meadows for supporting City Voices programming with a Community Betterment Grant!

to American Enterprise for their support of the 2019 Summer Music Academy!

to the Wells Fargo Foundation for their support of the 2019 Summer Music Academy!

to the Principal Financial Group Foundation for their support through the employee volunteer program!

to Bravo Greater Des Moines for their ongoing support of our programming – City Voices has been awarded a FY 2020 Cultural Enrichment grant to continue to reach underserved students with talent and motivation. We appreciate the faith you have shown in our organization!

AND……. to Luther Memorial Church for their support! They have included City Voices in a successful College, Congregation, and Community grant! This will enable more students to receive lessons, provide space for classes and recitals, as well as provide extra support in areas such as college prep and applications. We continue to love working with these wonderful people!

Check it out – it’s the Performance Project!

City Voices student Michael Xayavong met singer Audra McDonald after her February 21 concert in Des Moines

North senior Kameron James sings “Se vuol ballare” from “The Marriage of                                                                                                                  Figaro” at the City Voices Spring 2016 Recital.

Junior Mayte Gomez-Cruz (Junior, North High School) sings “Stars and the Moon” at the City Voices Winter Recital.