Our Vision
I began my life as a singer in a large public high school choir in South Carolina in the 80’s. While most social meeting places at that time—from the school cafeteria to the churches to cultural events-- seemed informally segregated, the choir was the place that seemed to most reflect the demographics our school and the town. We were a devoted group, rehearsing every day and often in the evenings, eating together, travelling together. That diversity gave a richness to the culture of our choir, and allowed us to perform a wider variety of music with a level of authenticity and excitement.
Fast forward 30+ years, and in some ways not a lot has changed. I look around at our cultural spaces, our performance groups, our audiences, and while usually not intentional, they still tend to lack diversity. And this without getting into all of the political forces that are trying to intentionally divide us.
And so the first mission of CLCC is to try to create an ensemble that reflects the larger picture of who we are as a community, and to make music together. My hope is to build a group of mixed ages, races, cultures and backgrounds, and then build a musical repertoire that reflects our members.
The second mission of the group is a community service component. What that means specifically will need to evolve with the group, but the goal is bring different parts of the community together through music, and then use that energy to bring about other good works beyond the music. Once the musical culture of the group takes shape, I would like the members to have a voice in how this develops.
Sometimes when a choir is struggling to make a blended sound I’ll say, “listen more than you sing.” In these days where it seems our whole society is having trouble blending, I think that advice may still hold.
So, if you are a musical person and this vision resonates with you, join us! If you are not a musician, reach out anyway! There may also be a place for you.
I hope to see you soon!
Cameron Aiken, Director
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About Cameron
Cameron Aiken has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Vocal Performance from the University of South Carolina and Rice University. He has a Masters in Music Education and has served as a music teacher in special education for Washington, DC schools. As a chorister, he has sung with ensembles ranging from Houston Grand Opera and Durham’s Vocal Arts Ensemble. As a soloist he has performed numerous principal roles in opera and musical theater, as well as producing regular art song recitals. Among other projects, he produced and directed a performance of The Barber of Seville in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley using professional singers and a community choir that was listed as one of the top performances in the area for that year. He has served as a church choir director in Cary and Walkertown, NC, and his choral compositions have been performed by various churches, as well as the Vocal Arts Ensemble. While living in NYC, he was sometimes known to sing cowboy songs in the subway. He has a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Winston-Salem State University, and works at an outpatient clinic in Chapel Hill, NC.
You can hear some of his music here.
