Choral Arts New England Awards Ceremony: November 5, 2022

Choral Arts New England will hold its 38th annual Awards Ceremony on Saturday, November 5, 2022, at 4:00 p.m. at

South Congregational—First Baptist Church
90 Main Street
New Britain, CT 06051

All are welcome to attend. The ceremony will also be available for streaming live at www.youtube.com/c/SouthChurchNewBritainCT/streams, and available for later viewing on the Choral Arts New England YouTube channel.

This year's ceremony will honor the recipients of the 2022 Alfred Nash Patterson Awards and will also honor Dr. Peter Bagley with the Alfred Nash Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award for exceptional contributions to the choral arts.

Dr. Bagley, Professor Emeritus of Music at the University of Connecticut, has had an enduring impact on choral music throughout New England and beyond, and is one of the pathfinders for African-American choral conductors. Dr. Bagley had a 28-year career at the University of Connecticut, where he was Director of Choral Activities, Professor of Music, and special assistant to the dean. With the University of Connecticut Festival Chorus and Orchestra, Dr. Bagley made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1997. He was invited to conduct choruses all over the country (including at least 14 all-state choirs), and the world (including engagements in New Zealand and Kenya). He was a mentor for countless chorus leaders and choral singers, and played an important role in the founding and nurturing of choruses throughout Connecticut.

Be A Voice For Voices

#Voice4Voices
#ChoralArtsNE

Thanks to our campaign donors!

As it marks its 40th year of supporting New England choruses, Choral Arts New England is launching a two-year campaign to double its grant-making endowment. Founded in 1980 as the Alfred Nash Patterson Foundation, the organization has built an endowment of more than $300,000; to date, its annual grants program has given more than 260 grants, totaling over $330,000, to support choral singing in the six New England states. Grants have helped create new choruses, reinvigorated long-established choruses, and supported transformative experiences for choral singers, their audiences, and their communities. While funds available for grants have remained steady for over a decade, both the number of high-quality proposals and the amount requested have more than doubled in that time. The New England choral community has greatly expanded over the decades, and choruses in today’s world—our communities' voices—play a unique role in building community and giving inspiration.

Join the Choir!

This fall is a great time to join a singing community. Well-established choruses throughout New England are looking for new members and new choruses are springing up. After some two years of restricted operation, there is a pent-up desire for choral expresson that is leading to some exciting new programs for the coming season.

Chorus Arts New England has some resources to help you find your group:

2022 Alfred Nash Patterson Grant Recipients

Choral Arts New England is delighted to announce the funding of 14 Alfred Nash Patterson grants, for a total of $23,550, in the 2022 grant cycle. The total amount awarded this year is the largest in the history of the grants program, thanks to the continued success of the capital campaign, "A Voice for Voices". The campaign will continue to accept new pledges and donations through the middle of 2022.

List Your Online Events!

The Choral Arts New England chorus calendar is now listing online events (webcasts, virtual concerts, webinars) that are of interest to the choral community. To list your event, use the online form and put the event link in the "Location/Address" box; you may leave the city/state/Zip fields blank. Events must take place at a certain date and time (since this is a calendar), but need not list a physical location.

"Music, uniquely among the arts, is both completely abstract and profoundly emotional. It has no power to represent anything particular or external, but it has a unique power to express inner states or feelings. Music can pierce the heart directly; it needs no mediation. One does not have to know anything about Dido and Aeneas to be moved by her lament for him; anyone who has ever lost someone knows what Dido is expressing. And there is, finally, a deep and mysterious paradox here, for while such music makes one experience pain and grief more intensely, it brings solace and consolation at the same time."
   — Steven Jay Gould, long-time member of Boston Cecilia