Choirs and Voice

Chamber Singers | Concert Choir | Opera Workshop | University Chorale | Scholarships

The MSU Chamber Singers are selected each semester from the Concert Choir. Specializing in the study and performance of early and 20th century music and music composed specifically for small choirs and vocal ensembles, they have presented concerts throughout the region. They also have performed during interest sessions on performance practice and choral style at the Kentucky Music Educators In-Service (1997, 2003).

In addition to the regular performances on campus and throughout the region, the Chamber Singers present a full-scale madrigal dinner each December. Employing a Victorian holiday theme, the dinner has become a regular feature of the greater Murray holiday celebrations entertaining over 175 people at each performance. Entertainments will include a guest fiddler, traditional carols, a children's choir, the reading of a Victorian ghost story, parlor games, a visit by a most famous uncle and, of course, the jolly saint in a red cloak. The dinner will be held in the grand ballroom of the Curris Center on the campus of Murray State University. For reservations please call (270) 809-6936. Seating will be limited.

Concert Choir

The MSU Concert Choir is the premier choral organization at Murray State University and enjoys an international reputation for excellence in choral music. Under the baton of Director of Choral Activities Dr. Bradley L. Almquist, the choir has sung invitational performances for the Kentucky Music Educators Association (1997, 2004); the Kentucky Choral Directors Association (1994,2000); the Southern Division Convention of the Music Educators National Conference (1997); the National Convention of the Music Educators National Conference (2002) and the Southern Division of the American Choral Directors Association (2002). They have toured England, Scotland and Wales (1995); Germany Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary (1998); Italy (2001); and Ireland, Wales and England (2004).

Concert Choir

Dedicated to the study and performance of choral masterworks of all musical epochs the choir frequently appears with regional orchestras performing major choral/orchestral repertory including Brahms Requiem (2001), Walton's Belshazzar's Feast (2002), Beethoven's Mass in C Major (2003), and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (2004). In addition to standard repertory, the choir regularly commissions and/or premieres new music including Requiem da Camera (1996), Ave Maria, O Autrix Vitae (1998), and The Lamb (1999) from Buffalo composer Roland Martin; Charm Me Asleep: To Music (1998) by James Mulholland; Six Shakespearean Madrigals (1997) and Jubilate Deo by Joseph Baber (2003); and Veni, Sancte Spiritus by William Averitt (2001).

The Concert Choir is selected each fall by auditions and includes students from all of the academic colleges on campus. They regularly appear in concert on campus and frequently off campus fulfilling the university's responsibility of enhancing the cultural milieu of the entire region.

Opera Workshop

The MSU Opera Workshop is dedicated to the preparation of students for work on the operatic and musical theater stage. A special emphasis is placed on introducing the novice singer/actor to basic stage movement while singing. Students have the opportunity to audition the Department of Music and the Department of Theatre joint productions of a musical selected from the standard musical theater repertory. Recent shows have included "Into The Woods," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Pirates of Penzance," and "Cinderella."

During the semester opposite the main stage musical production students have the opportunity to work alone and in small groups staging arias and scenes from grand opera, operetta and musical theater. Voice faculty members direct these activities sharing their real-life stage experiences with the students in a professional theater environment.

These stage experiences are particularly valuable to the singers as they prepare themselves for careers in performance or as music teachers who may, one day, direct their own students in musical theater/operetta productions.

University Chorale

The Murray State University Chorale is a non-auditioned choir dedicated to the study and performance of great music of all musical epochs. The University Chorale offers singers the opportunity to continue to develop their singing skills and experiences after high school in a strong performance-oriented environment. No audition is required. However a special emphasis is placed on musical development and growth including music literacy skills and healthy vocal technique.

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