|
An Invitation to Collegiate Choirs |
Fourteenth Massachusetts ACDA
Collegiate Choral Festival
Theme: Collaboration Rather than Competition
Regis College, Weston MA
Saturday, February 10, 2007
All collegiate choirs from Massachusetts and beyond are invited to participate in the Fourteenth Annual ACDA Collegiate Choral Festival, at Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts on Sat., February 20, 2007. The event, which will include singing together, learning from one another, socializing, and performing, is an all-day affair beginning around noontime, and will once again be organized under the theme of Collaboration Rather than Competition. Activities will include
 |
an ice-breaker warm-up and vocalize session, |
|
|
rehearsals of the combined choirs, |
|
|
dinner and party with DJ for the singers, with simultaneous dinner/round table sharing for conductors, |
|
|
concert by individual choirs (6 or 7 minutes from each choir, optional) culminating in a performance of the second and fourth movements of the Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) by the combined choruses and Smith College Orchestra (Jonathan Hirsh, Conductor), and |
|
|
after-concert reception. |
Why Participate in the Collegiate Choral Festival?
The Collegiate Choral Festival provides an opportunity for students and conductors to pool their resources for a peak choral experience by working together rather than by competing, and the esprit des corps which develops is one of the highlights of the event.
Participating director(s) may volunteer to conduct an opening workshop or warm-up session for the combined choirs, which can introduce singers and conductors to new ways of presenting vocal concepts and skills. It is a wonderful source of new choral repertoire. Student singers really enjoy hearing the other choirs, and always cheer for the performances of the individual groups. Another plus is the opportunity to sing movements of a major work with orchestra, a thrilling experience that smaller groups often do not get in their individual schools.
Will Your Choir Fit?
The purpose of the festival is to inspire, affirm, and serve the needs of singers and conductors. Past festivals have seen the participation of all sizes of choirs (from 6 to 85 voices) and all types of groups (including all women, all men, and mixed voices). Type of repertoire is always varied, from classical to spirituals, folk tunes, and novelty pieces. The event is always inspirational, educational, and fun, as the choirs that participate year after year will attest. If you are looking for something new and different, this could be just what you’re looking for.
Different Types of Participation Possible
Several levels of participation are possible:
|
|
sing both an individual concert program and the combined number(s), |
|
|
perform only the combined number(s) in concert, which would allow participation by (a) choirs whose full membership may not be available on that day, (b) choirs that would prefer not to sing an individual program, (c) schools that might want to bring a chamber group to sing an individual program and a general group that would sing only the combined numbers, |
|
|
come as observers to evaluate the day for possible future participation, |
|
|
come to the concert to support the festival and learn new repertoire. |
Choosing the Combined Repertoire
Each year, participating choir directors choose the repertoire to be performed by the combined choirs. Those conductors who sign up early, suggest and discuss pieces to be considered, which the group then decides on.
Choirs that Have Participated in the Past
Amherst College
Anna Maria College
Assumption College
Berklee College of Music
Boston Conservatory of Music
Brandeis University
Bridgewater State College
Eastern Nazarene College
Emmanuel College
Gordon College
Marist College, New York
Mount Ida College
Providence College, RI
Regis College
Salve Regina University, RI
Smith College
Suffolk University
State University of New York, Albany
Tufts University
University of Rhode Island
Villanova University, Pennsylvania
Wellesley College
Registration and Information
Although the combined pieces (2nd & 4th movements of the Brahms Requiem, to be sung in German ) has already been selected for 2007, it is still not too late for choirs to sign up to participate.
Registration cost: $3 per student
Location: Regis College, Weston MA
For further information, contact festival chair:
Sheila Prichard, Regis College
Phone: 781-768-8326
Email:
sheila.prichard@regiscollege.edu
Last revised October 05, 2006.
