Mission Statement
womanSong is committed to excellence in the performance of diverse and challenging choral literature for women's voices. The only choir of its kind in West Virginia, it educates and enriches its audience through compelling musical artistry.
History
womanSong was founded in 1997 by Joann Cordell. As the only major women’s chorus in West Virginia, we sing an eclectic range of repertoire, reviving and reliving our choral history through historical music, and showcasing often unknown works by female composers.
In the last twelve years, womanSong has performed at the Kennedy Center, the Greenbrier Resort, and West Virginia’s own Tamarack. womanSong has been featured at the West Virginia American Choral Director’s Association annual conference, and has collaborated with the WV Symphony on several occasions, including Holst’s The Planets.
In addition to our rich musical history, womanSong has remained committed to the greater community by volunteering time at Hospice, The Covenant House, and contributing to local food pantries.
Our Choir
womanSong is an auditioned community-based chorus for sopranos and altos. In addition to our voices, the individual women of womanSong bring varied talents to the group. We are twenty- somethings and sexagenarians; teachers, lawyers, nurses and retirees. Many are full-time community volunteers or busy mothers of small children. Some of us are lifelong or professional musicians. For others, womanSong has provided an opportunity to sing for the first time since college. What we have in common is our love of singing, our joy in one another’s company, and our dedication to sharing our unique repertoire with the community.
From August through May, we rehearse on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Christ Church United Methodist in Charleston. We give a winter concert in December and a spring concert in May. We invite interested sopranos and altos to audition by appointment by calling (304) 744-4642 or emailing ecapece@womansongchorale.com.
Artistic Staff
Emily Capece, Artistic Director
Emily Capece has recently completed her master's degree in music education and choral conducting from the Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ, and holds bachelors degrees in vocal performance and music education from Otterbein College in Ohio. While in Princeton, Emily conducted the training choir of the Princeton Girl Choir, and sang in the world-renowned Westminster Choir, Westminster Symphonic Choir, Kantorei, and Fuma Sacra. Ms. Capece has taught music in Okinawa, Japan, Fairfax County, Virginia, and New York City, and was awarded the National Endowment for the Humanities Teacher Grant to study Mozart Operas in Vienna, Austria in the Summer of 2005. Emily has studied with some of the choral profession's most respected conductors including Joe Miller, Timothy Brown, Joseph Flummerfelt, Andrew Megill, Bill Weinart, and Craig Johnson.
In addition, Ms. Capece is also a gifted mezzo- soprano and has most recently performed in the internationally noted Spoleto Festival in South Carolina. Ms. Capece was invited to direct the Putnam County All County Chorus last spring, and recently founded the latest addition to the Appalachian Children’s Chorus, Cora Voce High School Girl Choir.
Janet Brightbill, Accompanist
Janet Brightbill has been an accompanist, piano teacher, and church pianist in this area for many years. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education, Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Charleston and a Master of Arts degree in Human Resources with a specialization in Executive Leadership from Liberty University. Janet is a member of the Music Educator’s National Conference as well as the West Virginia Conference.
In the past, Mrs. Brightbill accompanied the Charleston Civic Chorus (10yrs) and the West Virginia Symphony Chorus (9yrs). Presently, Janet teaches piano at Bible Center School and is a church pianist at Bible Center Church in Charleston, WV. She is also a piano instructor at the University of Charleston and accompanies the UC Concert Choir and the University Singers.
Janet is a native of Lebanon, Pennsylvania. She is married to Gary Brightbill for 37 years, and they have three grown children -- Jeremy, Jessica, and Jamie -- and one granddaughter, Jenna.