Unity Performing Arts Foundation (abbreviated UPAF; also stylized as UNITY) is an American performing arts non-profit organization based in
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...
. The company focuses on diverse types of
fine arts, including
theatre arts,
choral music,
instrumental music
An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instr ...
,
literary arts
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to includ ...
,
oration
Public speaking, also called oratory or oration, has traditionally meant the act of speaking face to face to a live audience. Today it includes any form of speaking (formally and informally) to an audience, including pre-recorded speech delive ...
, and others.
History
Founded in 1993 by
Marshall White
Marshall White (born April 30, 1982) is an American professional strongman athlete.
Personal life
Born in Houston, Texas, White lived for a time in Port Angeles, Washington, and in Pagosa Springs, Colorado with his then-wife ...
, Unity Performing Arts Foundation was officially incorporated in 2000. Eventually, Unity came to serve as a platform for the Voices of Unity Youth Choir (VOU), a choral group directed by Marshall White that has been performing internationally since the 2000s. The group has performed at international competitions such as the
World Choir Games. At the
World Choir Games, the choir has won 5 gold medals in 2010, 2012, and 2014. As of 2014, the choir consisted of a demographically diverse group of 123 youths.
Youth development is also a major focus of the organization, as Marshall White does not consider the organization to be strictly an arts venue, but also a place for personal development and community engagement.
See also
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Fort Wayne, Indiana#Performing Arts
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Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra
Further reading
Selected magazine and news articles:
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References
External links
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{{authority control
Theatre companies in Indiana
Performing arts centers in Indiana
Organizations based in Fort Wayne, Indiana
2000 establishments in Indiana