Summer 2019 Choral Programs in (and near) New England

Summer is a perfect time for getting out of old routines and devoting time to music. New England holds some special retreats that offer programs where choral singers can get away for a week or more to focus and learn; elsewhere, singers take advantage of summer freedom to rehearse and perform a special choral work. Many choruses open their doors to the public to host “summer sings,” where participants sing a masterwork in a single session under expert direction, and often with professional soloists— a perfect way to participate in great music with a minimum commitment.

2019 Alfred Nash Patterson Grant Recipients Named

Choral Arts New England has announced the funding of 15 grants, for a total $13,650, in the 2019 season. The funded projects were selected from the 52 proposals received. This year's awards are the largest number of grants in the history of the organization, reflecting growing activity and innovation in the New England choral community. Both the number of applications and the amount requested have steadily risen over the past several years; last year, 51 applications were received and $14,150 was given in grants. Awards will be presented at the annual awards ceremony in the autumn of 2019.

The grant recipients are Burlington Choral Society (Burlington, Vt.), Cantilena (Arlington, Mass.), ChoralArt (Portland, Maine), Chorus Angelicus c/o Joyful Noise Inc. (Torrington, Conn.), Commonwealth Chorale (Newtonville, Mass.), Coro Allegro (Boston, Mass.), Fairfield County Children's Choir (Trumbull, Conn.), Greater Boston Choral Consortium (Boston, Mass.), Lorelei Ensemble (Cambridge, Mass.), Montpelier Community Gospel Choir (Montpelier, Vt.), New Hampshire Master Chorale (Plymouth, N.H.), Outer Cape Chorale (So. Wellfleet, Mass.), Somerville Community Chorus (Somerville, Mass.), South Shore Children's Chorus (Quincy, Mass.), and St Mary Schola (Falmouth, Maine)

ChoralArt's Sixth Annual New England Carol Contest

The Portland, Maine chorus ChoralArt seeks new Christmas carols from composers with a New England connection (born in, current resident of, or composer currently studying at a college, university, or conservatory in one of the six New England states). The winning entry will be premiered during the 2019–2020 holiday season. Entries must be a cappella or keyboard accompaniment settings for SATB chorus (divisi up to SSATB) of an English text, with a duration of about three minutes. The winning composer will receive a $750 cash prize.

Choral Arts New England Award Ceremony Honors Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Dr. Gwyneth Walker and Thirteen Recipients of Alfred Nash Patterson Grants

Choral Arts New England held its 34th annual awards ceremony and reception on Sunday, November 4, 2018, honoring our 2018 Alfred Nash Patterson grant recipients and our Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Dr. Gwyneth Walker. The ceremony was at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts.

Highlights of the 2018–2019 Season in New England

The New England choral community is as vigorous as ever, and many great performances are scheduled throughout the coming year. Listed below are just a few highlights for the season that starts in September 2018. Currently, about 450 performances are listed on the Choral Arts New England events calendar through June 2019; that number will probably double by the end of the year. See the online calendar for complete, up-to-date listings.

Statistics and other Information from the Chorus Calendar

The Choral Arts New England calendar is a great resource if you'd like to learn about patterns and statistics — and if you're interested in learning if a particular work has been sung (much), or what your favorite soloist is doing. You can get charts (as well as numbers) of the number of events at any time during the year, for the past five years. You can also search the calendar to find performances of interest during that time period.

“I have an idea that people join choruses to experience self expression and also the oneness of a number of humans all and together looking for the highest expression of a big thought in music. Maybe we can never go all the way with a man like Bach, but we can go further with him than we could ever go on our own.” —Alfred Nash Patterson