Final Thoughts Before A Concert

An Interview with Craig Jessop

Chorus America Staff | Conducting, Rehearsal, Technique/Tool

Do you ever wonder what choral conductors think about after the last orchestra rehearsal before the big performance? Chorus America contributor Kelsey Menehan sat down with Craig Jessop at the Berkshire Choral Festival to find out. Read more

Women in Choral Conducting: A Level Playing Field?

Vivien Schweitzer | Careers, Children/Youth, Diversity, Governance

Men vastly outnumber women in orchestral conducting, but choruses tell a different story. What issues do women choral conductors face today? Read more

Marilyn Horne's Second Act

Kelsey Menehan | Community Outreach, Education, Profile

Marilyn Horne, one of America's most celebrated opera stars, decided to shine the spotlight on the next generation. Read more

Singing with an Aging Voice

How Choristers and Choruses Can Address the Challenges Together

Kelsey Menehan | Adults/Seniors, Evaluation, Singing, Technique/Tool

As singers age, what used to be easy becomes harder—sustaining the high notes, singing through a phrase on one breath, doing a smooth crescendo and decrescendo. Here's a look at several strategies for overcoming the challenges of an aging voice. Read more

David Hamilton’s Music for Choir and Instrumental Ensemble

Chorus America Staff | Composing/Commissioning, Conducting, Performance, Rehearsal, Repertoire, Singing

Research Memorandum Series No. 202 This issue provides insight into the music of David Hamilton, prolific composer and music educator from New Zealand. Jennifer Morgan Flory gives us a complete listing of Hamilton's works for choir and intstrumental ensemble. Read more

The Choral Works of Stephen Chatman

Chorus America Staff | Conducting, Repertoire, Research/Data

Research Memorandum Series No. 201. This issue provides insight into the music of Stephen Chatman, internationally known Canadian composer and teacher. Graeme Langager gives us a complete listing of Chatman's published and unpublished choral compositions. Read more

Navigating a Music Director Transition

An Online Seminar

Chorus America Staff | Careers, Conducting, Governance, Operations, Strategic Planning, Technology

Responding to survey data that revealed that 33% of responding conductors were founding directors that anticipated retiring from their ensembles within 5-10 years, Chorus America created this online seminar, Navigating a Music Director Transition. Packed full of video interviews with leaders in the field who have addressed this transition from all different roles (departing music director, incoming music director, board president, executive director, search committee member, etc.), as well as practical worksheets and tools, the 4-part seminar is a vital resource for any choruses anticipating an artistic change. Read more

Arthur Farwell’s New York City “Song and Light Festival”

Chorus America Staff | Research/Data

American Choral Review 53.2 Read more

Spirit / Breath / Voice

5850 S. Woodlawn Ave., Chicago, IL

Matt Greenberg |

  Please join the nine singers of Chicago a cappella for Spirit/Breath/Voice, an inspiring program celebrating generosity, compassion, peace, and joy.The acclaimed vocal ensemble’s new concert includes a joyous Renaissance mass, uplifting Shaker tunes, and the Midwest premiere of Gwyneth Walker’s Songs of Ecstasy.This concert will be musically directed by William Chin, the accomplished assistant director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus. Don’t miss this deeply moving and blissful musical experience! Read more

Two CDs Released by Boston’s Coro Allegro

kipjld1964 |

Coro Allegro, a classical SATB ensemble composed of members and friends of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities, extends its commitment to contemporary choral works with the release of two CDs under the Navona label. Awakenings features two extraordinary works by Massachusetts composers: “Shofar” by Robert Stern, an intensely dramatic recounting of the Biblical story of Moses and the Israelites premiered by Coro, with libretto by Catherine Madsen; and “Why I Wake Early” by Ronald Perera, a suite of eight evocative songs with text drawn from poems by Mary Oliver. Says The New York Times: "Ms. Oliver's poetry...reveals an awestruck regard of nature that verges on the religious...Enhanced by Mr. Perera's estimable knack for setting English, this is a substantial addition to the choral canon.” In Paradisum features live performances of two Coro-commissioned works by acclaimed composer Patricia Van Ness: “Requiem,” a personal, intimate ritual of consolation reinforcing the presence of divine love; and “The Voice of the Tenth Muse,” an expansively spiritual work based on the texts of Sappho. Featured soloists include Sanford Sylvan and Ruth Cunningham. Both CDs are available for purchase at www.coroallegro.org/cds Read more

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir - Rossini Petite Messe Solennelle - Concert and webcast

Toronto, Ontario

Toronto Mendels... | Audiences, General, Performance, Singing

Brighten up a winter afternoon with this graceful and lyrical work. The TMC last performed this great work in 1982.  Noel Edison, conductor; James Bourne, piano;
Andrew Adair, organ;
Lesley Bouza, soprano;
Jennifer Enns Modolo, mezzo soprano;
Charles Davidson, tenor;
Michael York, baritone. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St, Toronto. One block north of St. Clair subway station.    Tickets: $42-$65; seniors $37-$60; VoxTix (under 30) $20.    http://www.tmchoir.org/tmcPerformances/petite-messe-solennelle.cfm   Podcast: http://www.tmchoir.org/downloads/audio/podcast_Rossini.mp3   Program Notes: http://www.tmchoir.org/downloads/programNotes_RossiniPetiteMesse.pdf   This concert will also be webcast live on the TMC website at 3pm (UTC -5). The webcast will be Adobe Flash and iPhone and iPad compatible.   Read more

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir - Choral Conductors Symposium Concert and Webcast

Toronto, Ontario

Toronto Mendels... | Audiences, Conducting, Families, Performance, Singing

    A free Toronto Mendelssohn Choir concert. Enjoy a potpourri of great choral works performed by the Mendelssohn Singers and by the 20-voice Elora Festival Singers. This concert concludes the TMC’s 3rd annual Choral Conductors’ Symposium for emerging conductors, led by Noel Edison. The five conductors participating in the Symposium will conduct: Xavier Brossard-Ménard, Catherine Klopoushak, Brett Kostrzewski, Jennifer Min-Young Lee and Kemuel Wong. <a href="http://www.tmchoir.org/tmcPerformances/conductors-symposium-concert.cfm">Find out more about the concert</a>. If you can’t be at the concert, you can watch a live webcast at 3 pm (UTC -5) on the TMC website. The webcast will be Adobe Flash and iPhone and iPad compatible. <a href="http://www.tmchoir.org/tmcPerformances/webcast-register.cfm">Sign up to watch the webcast</a> .   Read more