News and Notices

Announcing 21V auditions in July and August 2021!

We’re calling soprano and alto voices of all genders and gender identities to join a professional-caliber ensemble in crafting a new choral sound, focused on 21st century music of the Americas. Stipends will be offered. To be considered for 21V’s initial roster, please submit an Audition Request Form or contact us at no later than July 30, 2021.

21V envisions the possibility of virtual projects as well as in-person ones in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you are not a resident of the Bay Area and would like to be considered for virtual projects, please go through the audition request process described on the auditions page.

About 21V

Founded in 2021 by Dr. Martín Benvenuto, 21V will explore a broad identity of 21st century music of the Americas, inspiring awareness and advocacy for underrepresented American continent perspectives. To inaugurate our first season, 21V is premiering a new commission celebrating the Tulsa community.

Please share this exciting opportunity with your networks!

New Jersey Choral Society will be hosting auditions through July and August for anybody interested in joining our chorus. This fall, NJCS will practice in-person for a full concert season. We will take all necessary precautions at rehearsal and during our performances as recommended by the Center for Diseases and Control (CDC) and implemented by our music professionals. Practices are Tuesday nights from 7:30pm to 10pm.

What is New Jersey Choral Society (NJCS)?

NJCS is a premiere choral group of auditioned singers from northern New Jersey with an ever-expanding national and global reach. We perform under the leadership of Artistic Director and Conductor, Lauren Fowler-Calisto.

Each season, our repertoire consists of holiday performances in December; our Pops Spectacular in March, featuring music from across the popular spectrum including Broadway, American standards and jazz and a concert of major choral masterpieces and classical selections in June. NJCS has performed at the White House and Carnegie Hall and on summer tours in the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, England and China.

NJCS and the COVID-19 Pandemic

While we could not physically sing together, our members kept the music alive during the pandemic by completing four virtual chorus projects. Our repertoire was Moses Hogan’s arrangement of Ride on King Jesus, John Trotta’s arrangement of Veni, Veni Emmanuel, Kirby Shaw’s arrangement of Paul Simon’s Bridge Over Troubled Water, and Rita Blacker’s Offering of Peace. This is a testament to NJCS’ commitment to growing musically and sustaining the well-being of our members.

The Promise of Living: 40th Anniversary 2.0

The 2020/2021 season was to be our 40th with a celebration of our favorite pieces and the presentation of new ones. However, the pandemic gives a new, profound meaning to the theme as we approach better times and new sense of normalcy.

Our holiday concert theme is Comfort and Joy, which will feature Eric Whitacre’s Lux Aurumque, Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium, and Pentatonix’s Mary, Did You Know? among other Holiday classics.

Our Pops Concert will celebrate the British Invasion and feature favorite hits from Amy Winehouse, Coldplay, The Who, Peter Gabriel and many more.

Our Masterworks concert highlights John Rutter’s To Everything There Is a Season along with works from Aaron Copland, Rene Clausen and Kenny Potter.

Interested in Auditioning?

Please email us at and we would be happy to forward you information on our audition process. You can also reach out to us with any questions you may have on NJCS. Visit our website at njcs.org and check out our Facebook page for fun and interesting information. We hope you consider NJCS for your next musical journey!

Internationally renowned choral conductor DALE WARLAND is the 2021 recipient of The American Prize National Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement presented by The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts in conjunction with The Gothic Calalog family of record labels. The Award, which consists of a beautifully framed citation recognizing Maestro Warland’s contributions to the art, is part of The American Prize’s annual Independence Day Honors, announced July 4, 2021. The announcement coincides with the renaming of The American Prize in Choral Conducting to The American Prize Dale Warland Award in Choral Conducting. A seed gift of $2000 from The American Prize and The Gothic Catalog creates the Dale Warland Endowment for The American Prize to insure that the Dale Warland Award in Choral Conducting remains a permanent annual offering of The American Prize contests.

Link to full story: https://theamericanprize.blogspot.com/2021/07/independence-day-honors-2021-dale.html

“Renewal” sets an original poem reflecting on the new moon as a symbol of a new beginning, resonating with the hopefulness of this time. The deadline to join this commissioning consortium is July 15th, the score will be delivered by August 6th, and the premieres will take place through next June 15th. The new work will be a cappella, in versions for SATB or SSAA choirs, and about 5 minutes’ duration. A low difficulty level without any divisi will make it accessible to most choirs. Tiered and need-based pricing make premiering a new work affordable, and both tiers include Zoom workshops where I will attend a rehearsal virtually (or in-person if possible, for NY/NJ choirs). Please find details about the project at http://karensiegel.com/renewal/, and see the text below. I would be happy to set up a time to talk with interested conductors—please contact me at .

I see you,

appearing

with hopeful brightness

in the sky,

Your journey

through shadow

as easy as

miraculous,

As if you

could do it

with eyes closed. (Well, I

guess you do.)

Renewal—

as simple

as lifting open

our eyes,

As wondrous

as cycling

through all the phases

of the moon.

—Karen Siegel

Announcing 21V auditions in July and August 2021!

We’re calling soprano and alto voices of all genders and gender identities to join a professional-caliber ensemble in crafting a new choral sound. Stipends offered. For more information, please contact us at or visit our auditions page at https://mailchi.mp/e9a4f36cec52/21v-audition

To be considered for 21V’s initial singer roster, please submit an Audition Request Form no later than July 30, 2021.

Founded in 2021 by Dr. Martín Benvenuto, 21V will explore a broad identity of 21st century music of the Americas, inspiring awareness and advocacy for underrepresented American continent perspectives. To inaugurate our first season, 21V is premiering a new commission celebrating the Tulsa community.

Please share this exciting opportunity with your networks!

The Sounds of Stow Chorus & Orchestra invites fully vaccinated singers in all voice parts to join us for in-person OPEN REHEARSALS on August 30, September 6, and September 13.

Open rehearsals begin at 7:00 p.m. with registration and socializing at First Parish Church of Stow & Acton, 353 Great Rd, Stow, MA

Regular rehearsals begin September 20, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

There are no auditions.

Program:

Thomas Ades – Dawn (orchestra only)
Ola Gjeilo – Sunrise Mass
Adolphus Hailstork – I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes
Christopher Tin – Sogno di Volare

CONCERT DATE WITH FULL ORCHESTRA: NOVEMBER 21, 2021
Barbara Jones, Artistic Director

The Sounds of Stow Chorus & Orchestra is a welcoming community of musicians committed to preparing and performing exceptional music to enrich our lives and those of our audiences.

For more information, please visit our website: www.soundsofstow.org