Nevada City, CA – The rafters of the Stone Hall will ring with the community’s rendition of Coldplay’s mega hit, “Viva La Vida” during the next installment of The Foundry Sings on Wednesday, Oct. 9.
Miners Foundry Cultural Center is pleased to present the next song in the community singalong series. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the singing begins at 6:00 p.m. The Miners Foundry offers a no host full bar with snacks available for purchase. In a couple of hours participants will learn musical harmonies and vocal arrangement well enough to perform and record a song together. The video will be posted to YouTube.
Revered as an essential rock song of the 2000s, “Viva La Vida” was a Billboard #1 hit and Song of the Year Grammy Award Winner in 2009. Inspired by 20th Century Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s last painting before her death, “Viva La Vida” translates to “Long Live Life.”
“She went through a lot of physical pain during her life, bedridden for years as the result of a street car collision in Mexico City and then she started a big painting in her house that said ‘Viva la Vida’ along the edge of a cut watermelon. I just loved the boldness of it, given all that she had gone through,” said Coldplay’s frontman Chris Martin during a March 2008 interview with Rolling Stone Magazine.
Baggett Legacy Lives On!
Rod Baggett, the retired choral conductor at Nevada Union High School will lead voices unified in song, supported by local musicians Tim Yamauchi and Tristan Berlund along with voice coaches Robbie Merchant and Heather Grove, who help the singers sound their best.
For 60 years, Rod Baggett and his father, Don Baggett contributed significantly to the local music scene and the choral music program at Nevada Union High School. After 30 years, Rod Baggett retired this past June. Not only did father and son introduce music of the world to their students, they also introduced the world – its cathedrals and people – to their students through regional and international trips.
“When word began to spread that Rod was retiring, our local Foundry Singers began to worry that he was retiring from us, too,” said Founder Pamela Meek.
“There were lots of relieved smiles when they heard he was looking forward to continuing with the five annual singalongs that take place in the Miners Foundry’s beautiful Stone Hall,” Meek said.
The Foundry Sings is a unique countrywide experience sponsored by Dignity Health that is open to everyone, regardless of experience and aims to gather people of all ages and singing levels under one roof to share in the power of song. Beginners are welcome and attendees are not required to know how to read music.
The Foundry Sings is inspired by the popular Choir! Choir! Choir!, a weekly drop-in singing event based in Toronto, Canada, which has attracted professional musicians such as Patti Smith, David Byrne and Rufus Wainwright to sing with the group.
People have been known to travel from Truckee, Sacramento, Auburn and Elk Grove to join The Foundry Sings and other singers in Nevada City. For new arrivals to Nevada County, it’s a chance to meet new friends. For many, it’s an opportunity to feed the soul and meet new friends.
The Foundry Sings takes place quarterly and is an important fundraiser for the Miners Foundry Cultural Center’s building improvement fund.
The annual Holiday Foundry Sings in early December will include 25 songs, both secular and spiritual. Stay tuned for updates at minersfoundry.org.
KNOW AND GO:
WHAT: Miners Foundry Cultural Center Presents “The Foundry Sings!”
MORE INFO: minersfoundry.org
WHERE: Miners Foundry, 325 Spring Street, Nevada City, CA 95959
EMAIL: info@minersfoundry.org
WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 9; Doors open at 5:30 p.m., singing begins at 6 p.m.
COST: $10 General Admission
TICKETS: minersfoundry.org
Available online or in person at the Miners Foundry Box Office:
325 Spring Street, Nevada City, CA 95959
Tuesday – Friday | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
About The Foundry
The Miners Foundry Cultural Center is a living historic treasure serving Nevada County as a cultural art and community events center producing 400 events annually. More than a venue, the nonprofit’s mission is to preserve, enhance and utilize the historic Miners Foundry for cultural, educational and social activities in Nevada County. It is a symbol of California’s rich historical heritage, providing an educational and social bridge from our past to the present and future. Membership supports ongoing events at Miners Foundry such as these and many others.