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

The Singer's Responsibility for Artistic Excellence

The Singer's Responsibility for Artistic Excellence

Kelsey Menehan | Recruitment, Singing, Volunteer

Over 40 million people sing in choruses in the United States and countless more worldwide. But why don't choruses usually garner the prestige that, say, symphony orchestras do? Is it because we're just not measuring up? Read more

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The Key to Good Singing: Just Breathe!

The Key to Good Singing: Just Breathe!

Chorus America Staff | Singing, Technique/Tool

In principle, we live in a sea of air. Singing is vibrating that air: We take a breath, our abdominals engage and we send the air back up our windpipe. And that's about all there is to it. It's just that simple—and it's just that hard. Read more

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Brave New Chorus(es)

Brave New Chorus(es)

Kelsey Menehan | Adults/Seniors, Impact/Value, Participation, Singing, Volunteer

Ever started over in a new city? One singer's cross-country move leads to a search for a new chorus. Read more

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Watch & Learn A Chinese Folksong

Watch & Learn A Chinese Folksong

Jing Ling-Tam | Repertoire, Singing

"Mò Li Hua" (Jasmine Flower) has been popular since the Qing Dynasty. Read more

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When It's More than Just Singing

When It's More than Just Singing

Choristers Share Their Most Memorable Experiences

Chorus America Staff | Impact/Value, Singing

We asked choral singers all over the continent to tell about their "mountaintop" experience as a choral singer. The responses were heartwarming, tear-jerking, hysterical, awe-inspiring, and... a great reminder of why we sing. Read more

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Breaking Up with Your Choir

Breaking Up with Your Choir

Cory Davis | Participation, Singing, Volunteer

Like a romantic relationship, joining a choir is a commitment that requires give and take—and lots of time. Lately, however, you feel like your choir participation has been more of a time consuming chore, rather than something you signed up to do for fun. How do you know when enough's enough? Read more

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From the Wreckage, A Song

From the Wreckage, A Song

Jan-Marie Petersen | Impact/Value, Singing

One choral community suffers from the loss of one of its own in the January 2010 Haiti earthquake. Read more

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Mind Over Meter

Mind Over Meter

Michael Shaughnessy | Adults/Seniors, Composing/Commissioning, Repertoire, Singing

So you thought you could count...that is, until you met the 7/8 and 5/4 time signatures. Honestly, why are those meters so troublesome? Read more

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L.A. Rising

L.A. Rising

Michael Shaughnessy | Profile, Singing, Symphonic

The "left coast" is fast becoming a center for creativity in the choral arts. Read more

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Music and the Mind

Music and the Mind

Michael Shaughnessy | Adults/Seniors, Health, Profile, Science, Singing

Unraveling the mystery of music's profound impact on the human brain. Read more

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Resources

The Feldenkrais Method for Singers—Relaxing the Tongue

The Feldenkrais Method for Singers—Relaxing the Tongue

Karen R Clark | Health, Singing, Technique/Tool

The practice of Feldenkrais can help singers perform with minimum effort and maximum efficiency. In this video, Feldenkrais practitioner Karen Clark demonstrates how to train the powerful tongue muscle to cooperate with rather than hinder the singing process. Read more

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The Choral Warm-Ups of Robert Shaw

The Choral Warm-Ups of Robert Shaw

Pamela Elrod | Rehearsal, Singing, Technique/Tool

Believing that the chorus was a corporate entity with a spirit of kinship, famed conductor Robert Shaw used the warm-up period to focus on matters of tuning, tone color, ensemble blend, acoustical conditions, and development of the dynamic palette. We've compiled several of his warm-ups. Read more

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The Feldenkrais Method for Singers—Achieving Relaxed Alertness

The Feldenkrais Method for Singers—Achieving Relaxed Alertness

Karen R Clark | Health, Singing, Technique/Tool

The practice of Feldenkrais can help singers perform with minimum effort and maximum efficiency. In this video, Feldenkrais practitioner Karen Clark demonstrates how being both relaxed and alert can bring greater freedom in singing. Read more

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The Feldenkrais Method for Singers—Vocalizing To Release Tension

The Feldenkrais Method for Singers—Vocalizing To Release Tension

Karen R Clark | Health, Singing, Technique/Tool

Through a self-discovery process using movement, the practice of Feldenkrais can help singers perform with minimum effort and maximum efficiency. In this video, Feldenkrais practitioner Karen Clark guides a singer to notice and then release tension while vocalizing. Read more

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The Feldenkrais Method for Singers—Releasing Eye Tension

The Feldenkrais Method for Singers—Releasing Eye Tension

Karen R Clark | Health, Singing, Technique/Tool

The practice of Feldenkrais can help singers perform with minimum effort and maximum efficiency. In this video, Feldenkrais practitioner Karen Clark demonstrates how releasing tension around the eyes contributes to less effortful singing. Read more

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The Feldenkrais Method for Singers—Opening the Throat

The Feldenkrais Method for Singers—Opening the Throat

Karen R Clark | Health, Singing, Technique/Tool

The practice of Feldenkrais can help singers perform with minimum effort and maximum efficiency. In this video, Feldenkrais practitioner Karen Clark demonstrates how opening the throat releases tension and allows for greater freedom in singing. Read more

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The Feldenkrais Method for Singers—Centering with the Breath

The Feldenkrais Method for Singers—Centering with the Breath

Karen R Clark | Health, Singing, Technique/Tool

The practice of Feldenkrais can help singers perform with minimum effort and maximum efficiency. In this video, Feldenkrais practitioner Karen Clark demonstrates the use of breath to center and stabilize the singing process. Read more

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The Feldenkrais Method for Singers—Introduction

The Feldenkrais Method for Singers—Introduction

Karen R Clark | Health, Singing, Technique/Tool

You know that freed-up feeling where it seems your body is singing itself? Singers yearn for more of that, but myriad stresses, tensions, confusions, and vocal issues can get in the way. Through a self-discovery process using movement, the practice of Feldenkrais can help singers perform with minimum effort and maximum efficiency. In this video series, Feldenkrais practitioner Karen Clark describes and demonstrates how this approach has helped her—and the singers she works with—release tension and find greater freedom in their singing. Read more

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Virtual Voice Lesson: The Farinelli Breath Exercises

Virtual Voice Lesson: The Farinelli Breath Exercises

Shauna Fallihee | Singing, Technique/Tool

Carlo Broschi, known as Farinelli, was a famous, and wildly popular castrato of the early 1700s. One of the secrets to his magnificent voice was the seemingly unending stream of breath that supported it. Voice teacher Shauna Fallihee demonstrates the breathing exercises Farinelli created to strengthen the intercostal muscles. Read more

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Warm-Ups for What Ails You: Lack of Breath Control

Warm-Ups for What Ails You: Lack of Breath Control

Rebecca Achenbach | Singing, Technique/Tool

Work on your breath control with these exercises from choral conductor and voice teacher Rebecca Achenbach. Read more

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Events

San Jose Symphonic Choir Performs Mendelssohn's ELIJAH

San Jose Symphonic Choir Performs Mendelssohn's ELIJAH

345 South First Street, San Jose, CA 95113

Pam McCulloch | Audiences, Children/Youth, Families, Performance, Singing, Symphonic

San Jose Symphonic Choir, under the direction of Maestro Leroy Kromm, will perform Felix Mendelssohn’s acclaimed oratorio, Elijah.  The 135-voice choir will be joined by Peter Tuff, baritone, singing the role of Elijah, and Bay Area favorite and Opera San Jose alumnus Christopher Bengochea, tenor, as Obadiah. The performance will also feature Yemonja Stanley, soprano, Cassandra Cardenas, mezzo soprano, members of Vivace Youth Chorus of San Jose, and the Nova Vista Symphony.    TICKETS   General $30; Senior/Military/Student $24; Group rate (10 or more) $20 Tickets go on sale February 5, 2013 at Symphony Silicon Valley box office, 408-286-2600, ext. 23. The box office is open from 10-5, Monday-Friday.  Any questions email us at office-manager@sanjosesymphonicchoir.org.   About San Jose Symphonic Choir   San Jose Symphonic Choir is supported, in part, by a Cultural Affairs grant from the City of San Jose, by a grant from the Farrington Foundation, and is funded by Applied Materials Excellence In The Arts Grants, a program of Arts Council Silicon Valley.   Read more

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Celebration of French Masterworks

Celebration of French Masterworks

Princeton University, Princeton, NJ

Princeton Pro Musica | Performance

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"Letter from Italy, 1944"

"Letter from Italy, 1944"

LaRosa Lane, Middletown, CT

Joyce Kirkpatrick | Adults/Seniors, Audiences, Civic Engagement, Community Outreach, Composing/Commissioning, General, History, Performance, Repertoire, Singing, Symphonic

             Veterans, PTSD, world premiere, Connecticut artists, letters from Italy – what do these have in common?   On April 28, 2013 an epic musical drama will unfold in Connecticut. It is about a World War II, 10th Mountain Division soldier, Dr. John K. Meneely, Jr., who served as a medic in the Aleutians and Italy. At the end of the war suffering from PTSD, he returned home to his young family. For the next 18 years he and his family struggled with his internal battles. Half a century later, their collective story is being told and their triumphs being sung.               The soldier’s daughters, Grammy-nominee composer Sarah Meneely-Kyder and poet Nancy Meneely, both Connecticut residents, have woven their physician father’s letters and their family’s story into a poignant saga of courage and compassion. Meneely-Kyder has set her sister’s ringing lyrics to music in a major musical drama, Letter from Italy, 1944. It calls for a cast of five soloists, a large chorus and orchestra.                              Read more

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Eric Whitacre and the Eric Whitacre Singers | Inspirations: North American Debut Tour

Eric Whitacre and the Eric Whitacre Singers | Inspirations: North American Debut Tour

New York, NY

DCINY | Audiences, Conducting, Impact/Value, Performance, Singing

  Announcing the debut US tour of Eric Whitacre and his professional choir, the Eric Whitacre Singers in March 2013 – Washington DC, Boston, Philadelphia and New York City. The programme will include recent works from Eric such as “Alleluia” and “The City and the Sea” as well as some of the greats of his catalogue, “When David Heard“, “A Boy and a Girl” and “Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine“. Other composers featured include Lauridsen, Monteverdi and Bach. Read more

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Eric Whitacre and the Eric Whitacre Singers | Inspirations: North American Debut Tour

Eric Whitacre and the Eric Whitacre Singers | Inspirations: North American Debut Tour

Philadelphia, PA

DCINY | Audiences, Conducting, Impact/Value, Performance, Singing

  Announcing the debut US tour of Eric Whitacre and his professional choir, the Eric Whitacre Singers in March 2013 – Washington DC, Boston, Philadelphia and New York City. The programme will include recent works from Eric such as “Alleluia” and “The City and the Sea” as well as some of the greats of his catalogue, “When David Heard“, “A Boy and a Girl” and “Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine“. Other composers featured include Lauridsen, Monteverdi and Bach. Read more

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Eric Whitacre and the Eric Whitacre Singers | Inspirations: North American Debut Tour

Eric Whitacre and the Eric Whitacre Singers | Inspirations: North American Debut Tour

Boston, MA

DCINY | Audiences, Conducting, Impact/Value, Performance, Professional, Singing

  Announcing the debut US tour of Eric Whitacre and his professional choir, the Eric Whitacre Singers in March 2013 – Washington DC, Boston, Philadelphia and New York City. The programme will include recent works from Eric such as “Alleluia” and “The City and the Sea” as well as some of the greats of his catalogue, “When David Heard“, “A Boy and a Girl” and “Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine“. Other composers featured include Lauridsen, Monteverdi and Bach. Read more

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Eric Whitacre and the Eric Whitacre Singers | Inspirations: North American Debut Tour

Eric Whitacre and the Eric Whitacre Singers | Inspirations: North American Debut Tour

North Bethesda, MD

DCINY | Audiences, Composing/Commissioning, Conducting, Impact/Value, Performance, Professional, Singing

  Announcing the debut US tour of Eric Whitacre and his professional choir, the Eric Whitacre Singers in March 2013 – Washington DC, Boston, Philadelphia and New York City. The programme will include recent works from Eric such as “Alleluia” and “The City and the Sea” as well as some of the greats of his catalogue, “When David Heard“, “A Boy and a Girl” and “Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine“. Other composers featured include Lauridsen, Monteverdi and Bach.     Read more

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Choral Conducting Master Class with Dr. Jan Harrington

Choral Conducting Master Class with Dr. Jan Harrington

Princeton, NJ

The Princeton F... | Adults/Seniors, Conducting, Education, General, Performance, Rehearsal, Technique/Tool

This 5-day professional choral conducting master class will offer practical rehearsal strategies, choral warm-up ideas, and sessions on performance issues, score study and preparation, creating compelling performances, and readings of new and recently published choral literature for choirs of all levels. Read more

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Harmonium Hosts Gala Celebration Honoring the 25th Anniversary of Dr. Anne Matlack as Artistic Director

Harmonium Hosts Gala Celebration Honoring the 25th Anniversary of Dr. Anne Matlack as Artistic Director

Morristown, NJ

Harmonium Chora... | Composing/Commissioning, Singing

The event, entitled "The Artistry of Anne Matlack:  Celebrating 25 Years of Visionary Leadership," includes cocktails, dinner, silent auction, and private concert by Harmonium.  The New York composer and Western Wind Vocal Ensemble baritone Elliot Z. Levine, from whom Harmonium has commissioned a number of new works, will be a celebrity guest.  Matlack and Levine will discuss the importance of commissioning new works for choruses. Read more

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SA Choral Society presents The Choral Works of Brahms

SA Choral Society presents The Choral Works of Brahms

205 James St., Boerne, TX 78006 & 227 W. Woodlawn Ave., San Antonio, TX 78212

Gustavo Rios Jr | Adults/Seniors, Audiences, Civic Engagement, Community Outreach, Conducting, Diversity, Education, Families, Fundraising, Participation, Performance, Singing

This season we are proud to be a part of the 2013 Brahms Festival, sponsored by the San Antonio Symphony. Read more

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Dialogue

Questions During Rehearsal?

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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