It’s gonna be a lovely day.

Get Elevated

The Delaware Vocal Arts Academy creates and expands creative workforce development opportunities for individuals from historically marginalized communities to develop as professional Vocal Artists who speak to our time's relevant issues through music, storytelling, and spoken word, strengthening our democracy.

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Our Vision

DAVA provides workforce development opportunities to Vocal Artists and Vocal Arts Apprentices who tell stories that inspire, activate, and enliven community, civic engagement, and democracy. By telling stories through song, spoken word, and storytelling, Vocal Artists envision and create new possibilities, thus expanding our creative economy and transforming our community and world.

ART THAT RESONATES

Delaware Academy of Vocal Arts

Workforce

Our Vocal Arts Apprentices (VAAs) are at the core of our program. VAAs are chosen through an application process that includes resume submission, audition, interview, and an assessment of workplace hard and soft skills. Applicants accepted into the program receive workforce development and vocal arts training, as well as mentoring. DAVA ‘s Summer Institute offers an intensive, residency-based, five-week summer program for developing VAAs ages 16-25. Our Summer Institute brings together expert vocal artists, artist managers, and arts administrators to serve as faculty and mentors to our VAAs.

Education

DAVA is committed to ensuring that Delaware’s students have access to high-quality arts education experiences. As such, DAVA offers intensive, school-based residencies. Unlike many school residencies that last for just a few days, DAVA’s school-based residencies last 30-60 days. This time frame provides adequate time for DAVA’s Vocal Artists to build relationships with classroom teachers and students and to delve deeply into curriculum and vocal arts techniques. The goal of DAVA residencies is to put an equal emphasis on the artistic process as well as the artistic product. By doing so, classroom teachers and students can extend and integrate their learnings from the residency experience.

Performance

DAVA provides transformative and immersive musical experiences through exceptional performances of an inclusive vocal arts repertoire. We are dedicated to cultivating a culture of excellence, collaboration, and innovation, while also promoting and supporting the development of emerging vocal artists. We inspire and enrich our communities through the power of vocal arts.

ART THAT RESONATES

Elevation

DAVA’s flagship, all-professional performing ensemble, Elevation Chamber Ensemble, is Delaware’s only professional vocal ensemble. Elevation performances fuse traditional, classical choral music with jazz, hip-hop, R&B, storytelling, and spoken word. Unique to our model and our repertoire, we consider the vocal arts to be more than just singing and are inclusive of the many ways the human voice is used in creative and artistic expressions.  

Elevation self-produces performances throughout Delaware annually. Performances are produced in New Castle County, Kent County, and Sussex County. In addition to these self-produced concerts, Elevation Chamber Ensemble is presented by colleges and universities, arts and culture venues, and houses of worship.  

More than just performers, Elevation’s Vocal Artists mentor our Vocal Arts Apprentices and support Delaware arts educator professional development and school-based residencies.

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Our Biennial Conference

Bent, But Not Broken

Bent, But Not Broken is a four-day conference amplifying the musical contributions of Black musicians and composers across time and across genres. Pairing performances from esteemed choral groups with discussions and workshops by the nation's most knowledgeable scholars of music and history, Bent, But Not Broken serves as a community summit to make visible—and audible!—the works of Black composers.

NOV 1-4, 2023

Fiscally sponsored by the Delaware Community Foundation

This organization is supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on DelawareScene.com.

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