core/heading

The Berea College Concert Choir is a vocal ensemble of about 60 undergraduate men and women chosen by audition each year from the Berea College student body. Choir members represent the true diversity of Berea College in all its aspects—ethnic background, race, nationality, and major. Music majors comprise about one quarter of the membership. The choir performs several concerts each year both on and off campus. Occasionally, the group travels on major international concert tours. Repertoire consists of both sacred and secular choral literature in several languages chosen from a variety historical periods, including anthems, motets, masses, folk songs, spirituals, popular music, and music theatre selections. The conductor of the choir is Dr. Xiantang Hong. Concert Choir is an academic course at Berea College (MUS 131), and members can earn .25 course credit for each semester of participation. The Concert Choir was formed in 1949 to develop an appropriate Sunday evening music program for weekly chapel services at the college, which were then required. In fact, the group was originally called the Chapel Choir for that reason. For more than 60 years, the choir has given inspirational performances at the college and for audiences in most states east of the Mississippi River, Canada, Europe, and Asia.

core/paragraph

The choir has recently returned from an exhilarating international concert tour to Spain and Portugal in May, 2014. The choir performed in major churches and cathedrals in four Spanish cities (Barcelona, Valencia, Cordoba, Granada, Seville) and two Portuguese cities (Faro, Lisbon). In the summer of 2007, the choir toured for two weeks in China, performing for large audiences in five cities and on Chinese television. In May and June of 2002, the ensemble toured in Italy and Switzerland, including performances in Rome, Lucerne, Florence and Venice. In January 1994, the choir performed in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. In previous years, the choir has also presented concerts in England, Wales, the Netherlands, France, Poland, and Russia.

The Concert Choir has performed in many of the world’s great concert venues and churches, including Music Hall in Cincinnati, Constitution Hall in Washington, DC, the Beijing Concert Hall, the Vatican in Rome, the Duomoin Sienna, the Dom in Salzburg, the Abby Church in Melk, the Jesuitenkirchein Lucerne, the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, and the Basilica (Shrine of the Immaculate Conception) and National Cathedral in Washington, DC. Other notable performances include programs at the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville, TN, at Disney World and Epcot Center in Florida, and appearances with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Louisville Orchestra, the Lexington Philharmonic, and the United States Marine Band . The choir has performed several times for the annual In-Service Conference of the Kentucky Music Educators Association. Twice the choir has participated by invitation in the American Negro Spiritual Festival in Cincinnati’s Music Hall. Each spring, the choir makes a week-long concert tour in the United States. The choir’s annual on-campus schedule includes major concerts in the fall and spring semester, a Homecoming Weekend performance, and participation in the Music Program’s annual Concert of Christmas Music.

show

Berea College Concert Choir and Chamber Singers

core/image

Under the direction of Mark Calkins, the Berea College Bel Canto Treble Singers is an inclusive ensemble of approximately 30 singers, open to all Berea College students who sing in the alto or soprano ranges, regardless of major.

The music we perform is composed for treble performance. The repertoire includes a variety of music, including but not limited to: Broadway, pop, classical, and folk, in both sacred and secular settings. On-campus appearances include one major concert each semester, Christmas Concerts, and performances as part of the Tuesday college chapel services throughout the semester. Off-campus appearances may consist of occasional weekend trips and/or small tours.

Bel Canto Treble Singers

This ensemble provides students with the opportunity to improve their individual and collective musical skills through performing in a traditional bluegrass band format. The overall style and character of the ensemble will reflect the actual abilities and preferences of the ongoing membership of the group. Under the direction of the instructor, students will actively participate in song selection and instrumental and vocal arrangements, thereby giving each member the authentic experience of performing in a working bluegrass band.