Sorelle San Diego – What Was I Made For?

Sorelle San Diego’s Spring Concert Examines the Question of Purpose

Repertoire Offers Answers to the Billie Eilish Ballad, What Was I Made For?

DATE:                         Saturday, May 10, 2025 at 4:30 p.m.

VENUE:                      San Dieguito United Methodist Church, 170 Calle Magdalena, Encinitas 92024

TICKETS:                   Suggested donation $20/$10 student

INFORMATION:        Visit SorelleSanDiego.com

Encinitas, Calif. (April 3, 2025)—Women’s chamber chorus, Sorelle San Diego, will present What Was I Made For?, a spring concert on Saturday, May 10 at 4:30 p.m. in Encinitas. Directed by Michelle Risling and accompanied by Anna Juliar, Sorelle will perform compelling choral works that explore the various purposes people find in their own lives.

The concert will begin with What Was I Made For?, a ballad by Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell. Offering answers to that eternal question, additional pieces include Andrea Ramsey’s Crowded Table, which depicts the joy in welcoming others, and To Sit and Dream, by Rosephanye Powell and with words by Langston Hughes, a jazz-influenced song that urges us to reach towards dreams of a more equitable world. Closing out the program is Michael John Trotta’s Caritas Abundat, written for women by Hildegard of Bingen and exploring what we can do for our planet. The concert also features works by Kim André Arnesen, Francis Poulenc and Dale Trumbore.

“Purpose is individual. Ultimately, everyone must choose their own, and every answer is the right one,” described Michelle Risling, conductor. “Our song selection demonstrates the multitude of purposes we seek from looking after one another to fighting for justice.” 

ABOUT SORELLE WOMEN’S CHAMBER CHORUS

Sorelle San Diego was founded in 2013 by director, Sally Husch Dean. When Dean retired from conducting, she passed the baton to Michelle Risling, a well-known conductor and singer in the Southern California region. The select women’s chamber chorus is comprised of 35 dedicated choral artists. The group strives to enhance the local community by offering challenging repertoire of diverse styles and genres. Selections range from international folk songs to music of living composers. A key part of Sorelle’s mission is to benefit local non-profit organizations by sharing concert proceeds. Sorelle is a program of San Diego North Coast Singers, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.