The Vocal Motion Six Story (Profile)
Introductory (a biography) of the ensemble VMSIX Namibia
Introduction
anyone who has not experienced the phenomenon of Vocal Motion Six cannot imagine the profound effect the spirit of this group will have upon them. Nor can it be described. As they say, you have to be there! All we can do is describe their effect on others! The group is represented with one Female and Four men.
Music Makers Award
In 1999 the group was among the 537 groups nationwide who auditioned for the National Music Makers Competition. Chosen as one of the 37 finalists, they traveled 700km southwest to the capitol, Windhoek. There, in a televised broadcast, they won 2 awards for Best Vocal Group and First Place overall Artist of the Year, winning the opportunity to record their first album.
Development
In 2000 they relocated to Windhoek to pursue their performance and recording opportunities. In the same year VMSIX had a workshop with the acclaimed Female A cappella group Black Voices from the UK. The young men took the harmonic skills that had been instilled into them growing up, and added their own unique expression to create a distinctive sound. Over the next few years the group was favorites at many corporate and state functions received numerous awards. 2012 First female joined the group.
The group sings in many languages including Afrikaans, Spanish, Italian Portuguese and English in addition to other Namibian languages currently the group is leaning how to sing in Finnish and Chinese.
MUSIC WORKSHORPS RECEVED
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2011 Tampere Finland. Tampere vocal music festival TAMPEREEN SAVEL 8 – 12.05.2011.VMSIX had a vocal workshop with the acclaimed A Capella group RAJATON from Finland
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2009, Windhoek Namibia Music workshop with “Helen Sung” & Nu-generation from the USA.
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2008, Windhoek Namibia Classical music workshop with Bennie Robinson from S.A.
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2001, Windhoek Namibia, VMSIX received A Capella music workshop with the acclaimed female A Capella group “Black Voices” from the United Kingdom UK
VMSIX MUSIC WORKSHORPS WE GAVE
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2012 Windhoek, Namibia New generation choir (Inner City Lutheran Church) VMSIX gave a workshop to 26 members of the choir on; Diction, formation of vowels, vowel modification and range consideration, darkening vowels, consonants, marcato and legato diction, special diction problem, prefixes and word separation.
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2011 Hammellina Finland VMSIX gave a musical workshop based on Namibian music and rhythms to over 30 youths.
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2007 & 2008 VMSIX gave a workshop on team building in Windhoek at Cap Glow to students from around the country to over 150 students
AWARDS
10 National Awards and Two (2) International Awards received by VMSIX
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2011 VMSIX come on the Fourth place at the international vocal contest in Finland. VMSIX received a special award at the prestigious Tampere Vocal Music Festival TAMPEREEN
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2009, In the Bill and Melinda Gates “Impatient Optimist” presentation in Washington DC, November the group was recognized for their anti-stigma and prevention work against HIV/AIDS in Namibia
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2009 Award winner, best performance, Golden Microphone at Wika German Windhoek festival
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2005 Award winner, best Vocal group at the National Youth Council (NYC), National Youth Enterprise, JCI Namibia youth Expo
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2005 Award Gold medal for Overall competition winner and silver medal for best Vocal group at the Namibia Championship for performing arts
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2005 KORA all Africa (National nominated)
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2002 & 2003 Award winner for best Vocal group “A Capella category” Ae//games City of Windhoek annual festival
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1999 Namibia premier Music Competition (Music Makers Awards) VMSXI scoped the top two wards (Best Vocal Group and Overall first Winner “Artist of the year”)
DISCOGRAPHY
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2012 Classic album “VMSIX”
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2011 Recording of live A Capella DVD “VMSIX”
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2006-2009 recording of a major VMSIX production “Search and find”
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2003 CD recording for Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) “VMSIX in the spotlight”
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2001 first CD recording “He leadeth me”
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1999 first Tape recording “Satani Sigabanona”
Other recordings non album / single songs
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2012 “Happy birth day song” for Telecom Namibia / Recorded in Windhoek Namibia
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2012 “Ekundungu” / Recorded in Windhoek Namibia
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2011 “Silver bells” Christmas song / Recorded in Windhoek Namibia
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2011 “Glory to our land” a song about Namibia / Recorded in Windhoek Namibia for Namibia Wild Life
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2010 “Only one world” / Recorded in New York, USA
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2004 First National Bank Commercial plays on T.V every day during financial indicators
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2003 “Thank you” recorded for video production
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2002 “ Recorded 2 songs first instrumentals “I long to see your smile” and “This is your home”
PARTNERSHIPS
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Karen McConnell-Jones CEO and President
VMSIX International Management (USA Region)
Class Act Production
202-904-1000
USA
classactdc@hotmail.com
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Kevin Patrick, (Founder-President)
Share The MicTM
636 Broadway, 3rd Floor
New Your, NY 10012
USA
www.ShareTheMic.com
Living Positive
In an effort to give back to their community, Vmsix created a platform, "Living Positive" using their "music with a message" to inspire the youth to make good choices as a preventative tool in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Namibia. In 2007 they joined forces with a young woman who is living with the virus, and traveled throughout 11 of the 13 regions in Namibia. As she told her story, they sang and spoke to over 85,000 youth in schools, prisons and mines, sponsored by PEPFAR, the US President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, in partnership with the Namibian American Cultural Center. (Living Positive video)
"Vocal Motion Six Classic" CD 28 October 2012 Release
When they weren't touring, they were in the studio recording their new CD, "Vocal Motion Six Classic” was recorded early this year 2012 and to be released 28 October 2012 which features a variety of songs in English, Spanish and Italian.
US Tour - Impatient Optimist
In the Bill and Melinda Gates "Impatient Optimist" presentation in Washington DC, November 2009, the group was recognized for their anti-stigma and prevention work against HIV/AIDS in Namibia. VMSIX was featured singing one of their A cappella arrangements in the language of Rukwangali, from the Okavango Region in Rundu. The song "Onane" is "words of wisdom passed on from parent to child... what you sow in life is exactly what you will harvest... make good choices in life and make our world a better place." Their picture-story is featured as part of "The Living Proof that U.S. investments in global health are working!"
USA State Department
While on this first US visit, which was funded by the Namibian Arts Council, they spent the next week touring DC and Miami with the US State Department's VOLVIS program, interacting with other organizations in the states who were working toward HIV/Aids awareness. Their story was broadcast by Voice of America.
Overwhelming Response in US - November 2009
Next, the group spent 3 weeks in the DC/Baltimore/New York area sharing their music and message in concerts for many schools and churches where they were received enthusiastically time after time with an overwhelming response from all ages!
High School students were especially moved, even to tears, by their dedication to using their gifts to help others.
Students at the prestigious Juilliard School of the Arts in New York City were amazed at the quality of their intricately blended harmonies and expressed disbelief that they had no formal training!
New York ShareTheMic
Before completing their first US tour, VM6 auditioned for ShareTheMic in New York City where they were warmly welcomed as the first international group to be a part of the launch of ShareTheMic! The producers invited Vocal Motion Six to arrange and record the ShareTheMic theme song "Only One World" in the studio 2 days later! www.sharethemic.com
"ShareTheMic™ (STM™) is an innovative cause-related community network that inspires independent musical artists, their fans and non-profit organizations to connect and collaborate to make a difference. It is a movement that supports emerging musical talent while generating awareness, relationship cross marketing, and fund raising opportunities for and with a diverse spectrum of prominent philanthropic causes. "
San Francisco Global Philanthropy Forum
April 18 – 21, 2010 in Redwood City Northern California under the invitation of Jane Wales, founding president, Global Philanthropy Forum Vice President, Philanthropy & society, The Aspen Institute, VM6 was recognized for the philanthropic work they have been doing against HIV/AIDS in Namibia. VMSIX was the main and only act during the conference. VM6 outstanding performance which was a live stream at livestream.com/gpf2010, Can also be viewed on philanthropyforum.org
During the rest of their US tour VM6 performed at the Dakota Lounge in Santa Monica Los Angeles California featured as main act for the night. VMSIX also performed in Atlanta Georgia, Washington DC, Maryland Baltimore and New York City performing in concert, schools and churches as well. In Atlanta city, VM6 was honored to perform at the prestigious and historical Ebenezer Lutheran Baptist Church where DR Martin Luther King JR used to congregate and preach!
Finland Tour 2011
VMSIX received a special award at the prestigious Tampere Vocal Music Festival TAMPEREEN SAVEL 8 - 12.6.2011(Contest for vocal Ensembles) at the international vocal contest in Finland.
In the same year VMSIX had a workshop with the acclaimed A cappella group RAJATON from the Finland
Current and upcoming Activities
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Over 17 local show and corporate in Namibia 2013
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A Cappella CD recordings 2013
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Finland and Estonia tour and Festival May & June 2013.
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Germany and Austria tour and Festival 2013
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August 2013 VMSIX to host a first ever annually International A cappella Festival.
For more information please visit www.vmsix.com
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