For the last year, Dakota Pro Musica has been working to perform and record Esther, the Beautiful Queen by the renowned 19th American hymn writer and music educator, William Bradbury. Esther, the Beautiful Queen was one of the most famous piece of American choral music between 1856 and the Great Depression, selling over 250,000 copies and being performed across the US. William Bradbury, the composer, is famous for writing a number of beloved hymns including Jesus Loves Me, and Sweet Hour of Prayer. The piece was performed across America in both white and black churches and communities including famous performances by the Fisk Jubilee Singers.

Since the Great Depression though, the piece has been lost to the world. Currently there are no recordings available anywhere in the world on any digital platforms. Our goal is to create a definitive recording of Esther, the Beautiful Queen, that will be available for sale across the world, and archived in libraries, universities, and online. This project is historically important and will celebrate the 250th of the US in a unique and meaningful way. It will help our small organization make an impact on the musical world we live in.

The Esther project is Dakota Pro Musica's single largest project in the history of our organization. This project costs as much as an entire season of Dakota Pro Musica concerts series which include 12-15 concerts. The largest expense for the project is bring in Soundmirror to record and produce the project. For more than 50 years, Soundmirror has been the first-choice recording company for orchestras, choral groups, opera companies, solo artists, and record labels. They have earned over 140 GRAMMY nominations and awards. Soundmirror will also help us get a record label to take on our recording.

Since we are making a world class recording, we will also be supplementing our local musicians with 5 singers who professional soloists and choristers who have been a part of multiple Grammy nominated and professional recordings. These singers will be a great addition to the talented local musicians of Dakota Pro Musica. We need to fly these guest musicians to North Dakota, house them, and provide them a soloist fee for this recording.

Our budget for this project is $65,000. As of the beginning of this project we have $32,000 secured and need $45,000 in hand by June 1st.

Esther, the Beautiful Queen

America's most famous choral work from the 19th Century