Let’s Get Physical: Singing and Disease-Specific Therapy

Singing has been found to be a potentially potent treatment for a wide variety of conditions, both alleviating symptoms and providing patients with a sense of positivity and community.Read more

Singing and Psychological Well-being

The power of group singing to elevate mood and forge relationships can help people weather challenges and face life’s ups and downs.Read more

On Tour with the Eric Whitacre Singers

The Eric Whitacre Singers recently made its debut U.S. tour in March, organized and presented by Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY.) Chorus America asked four of the Singers to provide some insight into life on the road,...Read more

Maintaining Your Voice for Optimal Lifelong Singing

Healthy vocal habits can help older adults continue to enjoy the benefits of choral singing. Erin Donahue and Wendy LeBorgne, voice pathologists from the Blaine Block Institute for Voice Analysis and Rehabilitation and the Professional Voice Center...Read more

Should Choruses Memorize Their Music?

Memorizing music can be daunting, but choruses that require it report that their singers connect better with the conductor, with the music, and ultimately with the audience. The memorization techniques that worked for them can help ease the process.Read more

For Singers

Chorus America champions the dedicated choral singer by developing online resources and tools to advance skills and promoting connections between singers. We recognize that choral singing is the most popular form of participation in the performing arts, that choral singers are active and engaged citizens, and that children who sing have greater academic success and social skills.

Articles

A Love Story and a Choral Commission

Chorus America Staff | Composing/Commissioning, Families, Impact/Value

Some couples celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary with silver, but Providence Singers member David Keller and his wife Julie Meyers chose music instead. Read more

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Why the Bach Passions Are Problematic

Tom Hall | History, Performance, Repertoire

What is our responsibility as singers and as choruses when historic choral works are offensive, even hostile, to a whole group of people? Tom Hall, music director of the Baltimore Choral Arts Society, discusses Bach's St. Matthew Passion and St. John Passion. Read more

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Virtual Choir or Bust!

Cory Davis | Composing/Commissioning, Innovation, Participation, Profile, Singing, Technology

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir 2.0, featuring his composition, "Sleep," attracted 2,058 singers from around the world. One singer shares his experience of participating in this social media experiment. Read more

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Spotlight on Eric Whitacre

Kelsey Menehan | Composing/Commissioning, Innovation, Profile, Repertoire, Singing

We take a look at the man behind the cluster chords: how Eric Whitacre arrived at a life in music, and the ups and downs he's encountered along the way. Read more

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Is Reflux Causing My Vocal Problems?

Margaret Baroody | Health, Singing

Something is irritating your vocal cords and you think it might be reflux. Vocal health expert Margaret Baroody gives us her take on the situation, along with treatment advice. Read more

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How Do I Control My Voice Break?

Chorus America Staff | Health, Singing, Technique/Tool

Many singers have trouble navigating through the passaggio easily. Three veteran vocal experts from the Washington Vocal Consortium each offer their wisdom for remedying this pesky problem. Read more

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Vocal Strain: When to Sing and When to Give it a Rest

Margaret Baroody | Health, Singing

When should a singer consult a doctor about a vocal problem or injury? One Chorus America member reported that he was left with laryngitis and a sore throat after screaming during a sport event. He wondered what to do, if anything, to recover. Read more

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In Praise of Informal Musicmaking

Kelsey Menehan | Families, Participation, Singing

These days, it seems singing is relegated to rehearsals, religious services, concert halls, and the occasional karaoke bar experience. But whatever happened to just gathering around the piano with friends and family to belt out a few tunes? Read more

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How to Choose a Voice Teacher

Lisa Koehler | Careers

You've decided to make the commitment to improving your singing abilities. But how do you find the right instructor to help you on your way? Read more

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From Oxford to Hogwarts: Singing on the Harry Potter Soundtrack

Gregory Camp | Participation, Profile, Singing

Ever wonder what goes into the making of a film's soundtrack? Singer Gregory Camp knows. Along with his chorus at the University of Oxford, Gregory got the chance to perform on the film soundtrack to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince—complete with studio time at London's famed Abbey Road Studios. Read more

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Resources

Warm-Ups for What Ails You: Tuning Problems

Rebecca Achenbach | Singing, Technique/Tool

Improve your intonation with these exercises from choral conductor and voice teacher Rebecca Achenbach. Read more

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Warm-Ups for What Ails You: Vocal Fatigue

Rebecca Achenbach | Singing, Technique/Tool

Choral conductor and voice teacher Rebecca Achenbach offers simple warm-up exercises to help you keep singing and singing. Read more

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Kent Tritle on Monteverdi Vespers

Kent Tritle | Conducting, Performance, Repertoire

Conductor Kent Tritle, who conducted Monteverdi's Vespers at the 2011 Berkshire Choral Festival, offers his insights on the challenges of singing this seminal choral work. Read more

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Kent Tritle: Choral Singing Is a "Health Club for the Soul"

Kent Tritle | Health, Singing

Conductor Kent Tritle talks about power of choral music to change the world, the importance of taking choral music "into the trenches," and how older singers can keep their voices healthy and strong over many years of singing. Read more

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Virtual Voice Lesson: Singing Legato

Shauna Fallihee | Rehearsal, Singing, Technique/Tool

In a series of video lessons, soprano soloist and voice teacher Shauna Fallihee guides you in the essential steps to freeing your natural voice and singing with ease. Read more

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Warm Up with the San Francisco Festival Chorale

Jimmy Kansau | Singing, Technique/Tool

Are you tired of the same rehearsal warm-ups every week? Do you want to try some different exercises for a change? Sing along with the San Francisco Festival Chorale. Read more

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Virtual Voice Lesson: Getting to Know Your Instrument

Shauna Fallihee | Rehearsal, Singing, Technique/Tool

In a series of video lessons, soprano soloist and voice teacher Shauna Fallihee guides you in the essential steps to freeing your natural voice and singing with ease. Read more

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How Massage Can Benefit Singers

Chorus America Staff | Health, Singing

Have you ever considered that singing can be a remarkably athletic activity? According to Beth Keltz, a licensed massage therapist, singing requires just as much athleticism as playing baseball or football. Beth and colleague Carly Greenwood, who work with the singers at the Berkshire Choral Festival, explain the benefits of massage for singers. Read more

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Soloist Contract

Chorus America Staff | Legal/Licensing, Operations, Performance, Sample/Template

Use this basic sample letter of agreement to hire vocal or instrumental soloists (or a guest ensemble). Read more

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Singer Information Form

Chorus America Staff | Operations, Recruitment, Sample/Template, Singing

Use this template as a guide for collecting useful information about new and returning singers during auditions. Read more

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Events

Songs of San Francisco: From Gold Rush to Golden Gate (1840's-1930's)

2515 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, CA

Tricia Bell | Performance

An unusually charming concert of historical popular songs depicting life in San Francisco from before the Gold Rush to the mid-twentieth century, featuring rollicking arrangements for piano and choir by Eric Davis. Read more

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A cappella Joy

River Forest, IL

Oak Park Concer... | Performance

The Oak Park Concert Chorale (OPCC), conducted by director Paul Lindblad, will present A cappella Joy on Sunday, April 21, 2013 at 4:00pm, atGrace Lutheran Church, 7300 West Division Street, River Forest, IL. General Admission is $18; Seniors/Students are $10. Group Rates are available. To order tickets, call 708.383.4742 or email info@OakParkConcertChorale.org. For more information or to order tickets online, visit our website at www.OakParkConcertChorale.org. Read more

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The Philadelphia Singers Presents Philadelphia Premiere of “Tchaikovsky and Schnittke”

18th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Theodora W. Ashmead | Performance

Spanning 100 years of Russian choral music, this concert presents two different worlds of sacred composition, one composed by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, his Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom and the other a century later by Alfred Schnittke, his Choir Concerto. One an insider, the other an outcast, one composer commissioned by the Tsar, and the other composed under communist rule, while struggling to achieve artistic freedom. Hear why these pieces are so similar yet so uniquely different. This is the first time the works have been presented together in Philadelphia and it is also The Philadelphia Singers inaugural performance at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, a beautiful example of Roman-Corinthian architecture. Read more

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The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass

110 Wilson Downing Rd, Lexington, KY 40517

Lexington Chamb... | Audiences

The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass by composer Carol Barnett Lexington Chamber Chorale with a bluegrass band, The New Ky String Ticklers Also featuring Memories, a commissioned work by Earlene Rentz, and other Kentucky works Read more

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A Breath of Spring

245 West 77th Street @ West End Avenue

J.Clarke | Audiences

Melodia Women's Choir of NYC presents A Breath of Spring, featuring works for women's choir and four French horns, with special guests Genghis Barbie French Horn Quartet. Read more

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Toronto Mendelssohn Choir - Beethoven Missa Solemnis

Toronto, Ontario

Toronto Mendels... | Audiences, General, Marketing/Public Relations, Performance, Professional, Symphonic

Immerse yourself in this grand symphonic work, an artistic testament to Beethoven’s spirituality. Read more

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Heritage Presents: 13th Annual Concert Sing On!

4101 Nebraska Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016

Miriam Dixon | Adults/Seniors, Audiences, CA News, Children/Youth, Civic Engagement, Community Outreach, Composing/Commissioning, Conducting, Diversity, Education, Families, Fundraising, General, Impact/Value, Innovation, Management/Leadership, Marketing/Public Relations, Networking, Participation, Performance, Professional, Recruitment, Schools, Singing, Social Media, Symphonic, Venue, Volunteer

We Preserve the Past. We Inspire the Community. We Sing On. Join Heritage Signature Chorale for our annual concert which promises to stir your soul. Tickets may be purchased at www.heritagesignaturechorale.org or by phone (202) 808-0583. Read more

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Sacred Songs, Psalms and Celebrations

1740 Route 130 North, North Brunswick, NJ

Faith Knabe | Audiences, Community Outreach, Families, Performance, Singing

Philomusica Concert Choir, Dennis Boyle Music Director/Conductor, is pleased to announce its Spring concerts on Saturday, May 18 at 8 pm and on Sunday, May 19 at 4 pm at Our Lady of Peace Roman Catholic Church, 1740 Route 130 North, North Brunswick, NJ. The choir will perform both a capella and accompanied by Shea Velloso at the organ. Read more

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“Made in America!”

1501 W. Ingomar Road Pittsburgh, PA 1237

PCCsing | Adults/Seniors, Audiences, Composing/Commissioning, Conducting, Performance, Professional, Singing

An exciting concert saluting America and celebrating American composers! Music by Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, Morten Lauridsen and a new commissioned work by Dale Warland, plus spirituals, patriotic songs, folk songs and more! Read more

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“Made in America!”

384 Fox Chapel Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15238

PCCsing | Adults/Seniors, Audiences, Composing/Commissioning, Conducting, Performance, Singing

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Dialogue

Questions During Rehearsal?

Anonymous | Rehearsal, Singing

Singers, does your conductor allow questions during rehearsal? What are the pros and cons from your perspective? Read more

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Enjoy Seattle’s First Online Choral Music Channel

In celebration of Chorus America’s Annual Conference coming to the Pacific Northwest, Classical KING FM has launched Seattle’s first all-choral music channel online at www.king.org. Listen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for music from top choral groups, including winners of Chorus America’s Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence.