Charlotte Hornets Game Performance

The Charlotte Contemporary Ensemble

The Charlotte Contemporary Ensemble originated as a group of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools music instructors who organized in the fall of 1978 to discuss choral music being taught. Celebrating more than 30 years of choral performances, CCE presents a diverse repertoire including, but not limited to classical, sacred, contemporary, jazz, spirituals and gospel music. With its broad appeal and versatility, CCE is in constant demand at civic, professional, religious and social events throughout the Carolinas, and has performed for the openings of the former Afro-American Cultural Center, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Art + Culture and the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. CCE and Opera Carolina presented a choral rendition of the opera Porgy and Bess with Bobby McFerrin and later participated in the staged production of the opera in Charlotte and Winston Salem, NC. CCE also collaborated with Opera Carolina in the 2006 debut of the American opera, Margaret Garner, starring Denyce Graves. On September 11, 2011, CCE members participated in a musical tribute to those who lost their lives in in the 9/11 tragedy with the presentation of the work, Memorial, by Rene Clausen. Additional collaborations have included performances with Carolina Voices, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Concerts in 2010, 2011, and 2015 and engagements at the Piccolo Spoleto Arts Festival in Charleston, SC in 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2012.

The Charlotte Contemporary Ensemble is currently a participant through the Firebird Arts Alliance in Charlotte, NC, in ongoing musical collaborations, social interactions and facilitated discussions on race, culture, identity and singing, to foster new, ongoing and mutually beneficial relationships between choirs and singers. The project, entitled  Singin’ Black and White, intends to combine community building with music making to better address racial barriers to enhance musical development for all participants.