Herberger Institute Days at Mirabella

Dec 13, 2021

This year marked the 6th Annual Herberger Institute Days— two days of workshops, performances, and conversation with students, faculty and, staff across the five schools: The School of Music, Dance, and Theatre; The School of Art; The Design School; The School of Arts, Media and Engineering; and the Sidney Poitier New American Film School.

Because of its location along the ASU arts and culture corridor, Mirabella at ASU was asked to host a few of the workshops, making participation in the events even more convenient for our community members. This was an exciting way to integrate our community into the broader Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, which calls itself “a creative city, populated by more than 7,000 artists, designers, scholars— working, teaching and learning together.”

Workshop 1: What will you eat in the future?

As our world changes, with new and sometimes scary challenges along the way, we need better tools to rise up to the challenge and be optimistic. Participants in this workshop used a variety of design prompts and tactile materials to immerse themselves in a set of rapid, hands-on, collaborative and creative activities to imagine the future of food. Residents and students worked alongside each other to discuss and collectively imagine the future, then they presented their ideas and invited feedback from other participants.

Workshop 2: Community performance debut of the Mirabella choral group

After working for months with the Musician-in-Residence Coordinator, Ty Chiko, to gel together, select pieces, and improve their skills, the choral group (called “The Mirabella Singers”) performed for the first time in the lobby during Herberger Institute Days. The lobby and main hallway on Mirabella’s first floor have become a popular place for pop-up performances because the acoustics carry the music through the building, and the central location invites even the most casual wanderer to take a moment to enjoy the performance.

The Mirabella Singers performed two musical selections. The first was “Just a Single Voice” by Sally K. Albrecht and Jay Althouse. This arrangement was in simple two-part harmony with flute and piano accompaniment. They wanted to start with this musically simplistic piece to prepare the audience for what was to come with the second piece. The message of the song is one of unity and friendship, and the choral group really connected to the refrain, which says:

“The power of music, the power of song.
When voices come together, the message can be strong.
Our visions of tomorrow, reflections of the past.
The memories and feelings, and friendships that last.”

Workshop 3: ASU Tuba Quartet Performance

The ASU Tuba Quartet is comprised of four talented, vibrant students majoring in a variety of fields, including music performance, music education, and composition. In addition to private lessons, students participate in weekly studio classes, tuba euphonium ensemble, chamber music, and band or orchestra ensembles. The Mirabella community turned out by the dozens to enjoy the early evening performance in the courtyard or from the comfort of their patio balcony!