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 White Plains, NY - The award-winning Westchester Choral Society invites singers to join the chorus for the upcoming season.
The Choral Society's music director, Frank Nemhauser, will conduct auditions for prospective members on Tuesdays and Thursdays, August 26 and 28 and September 2, 4 and 9, at the Music Conservatory of Westchester, 216 Central Avenue in White Plains (near the County Center), where the chorus is in residence. Experienced choral singers in all voice sections (especially men) are encouraged to call for an appointment. Further audition dates will be added as needed, and the chorus is offering interested singers a free "trial membership" -- the opportunity to attend one or more chorus rehearsals before auditioning.
Rehearsals are held at the Conservatory Tuesday evenings 7:30-10:00 PM beginning September 9. Free parking is available, and the Conservatory is fully accessible. For further information and to schedule a singer-friendly audition or a free trial membership, contact WCS President Numa Rousseve at (914) 285–9026 or go to www.westchesterchoralsociety.org.
Nemhauser is Music Director of the Berkshire Choral Festival and Associate Dean at Mannes College of Music. Regarding the audition process, Nemhauser says, "I am looking for quality of voice and the ability to read music/learn music. I would like to stress that the audition procedure will be short and I am extremely kind during auditions." This season's highlights will include a Sunday, November 23, 2008. concert of folk-song arrangements at 3:00 PM at Rye Presbyterian Church, 882 Boston Post Road, Rye, NY, and a Sunday, May 2, 2009, joint concert with the Fairfield County Chorale (Johannes Somary, Music Director) of Mozart's Grand Mass in C Minor and Mendelssohn's Psalm 42 at 8:00 PM in the Norwalk Concert Hall, accompanied by the Amor Artis Orchestra.
A February 11, 2008, article in US News & World Report describes choral singing as not only fun and mentally stimulating but also protective of cognitive function through providing social ties. "Choral singing is fun and mentally stimulating," says WCS Vice President Coni Guhl, an administrator at the Performing Arts Center of Purchase College. "It involves watching, listening, reading, counting, and deep breathing. It's great to join such a diverse cross-section of the community in a wonderfully harmonious, aerobic activity!"
Founded by Sarah Stewart Bowne in 1942 to perform Bach’s B minor Mass with 15 singers, WCS is over 65 years old but has no intentions of retiring. Today its 50 singers perform works from Baroque to contemporary, presenting three concerts per season to audiences in Westchester and nearby communities.
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