Yuba Sutter Master Chorale Recruiting a Children's Choir

The Yuba Sutter Master Chorale is hoping to build a children's choir to perform in its Christmas Concerts scheduled for Dec. 14 & 15.  Rehearsals for the children will most likely be on Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. at the First Lutheran Church in Yuba City.  For more information, contact Daphanne Peters, Secretary, YSMC at ysmcnews@yubasuttermc.com.

Sierra Gold Chorus Welcomes New Director

Sierra Gold Chorus is the Auburn chapter of Sweet Adelines International, the women's barbershop singing organization, and they have announced that Ron Black is their new director.  Black has an extensive resume as a music educator, as a director of barbershop and other choruses, and as a singer in award-winning quartets.  He is also Associate Director of Sacramento's men's barbershop chorus, Voices of California.  Click here for a press release with more details.

Vox Musica's Daniel Paulson to Be a Featured Soloist

The Sacramento choral community knows Daniel Paulson as the Founder and Music Director of Vox Musica.  He is also Resident Artist with the Tahoe Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (TOCCATA), and he will be featured as tenor soloist in their "Summer Solstice Serenade" concert series.  In addition to performances in Reno, Incline Village and South Lake Tahoe, TOCCATA will present this concert in Sacramento at St. John's Lutheran Church (17th & L Sts.) on Sunday afternoon, June 23 at 5:00 p.m.

Paulson will be the soloist in Bach's Cantata BWV 82a Ich habe genung.  For more information, see the event's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/194279794061531/ or visit the TOCCATA website, www.toccatatahoe.com.

Radio Discussion of the Benefits of Choral Singing

The June 3rd broadcast of NPR's "Talk of the Nation" focused on the benefits of singing in a chorus.  Titled "'Imperfect Harmony':  How Singing with Others Changes Your Life," the show featured two guests:  (1) Stacy Horn, author of Imperfect Harmony:  Finding Happiness Singing with Others and (2) Daniel Levitin, professor of psychogy at McGill University and author of This Is Your Brain on Music.  Host Ari Shapiro led a conversation about the benefits of choral singing that included calls from listeners.

To listen to the broadcast, download it, or read the transcript, visit this page:  http://www.npr.org/2013/06/03/188355968/imperfect-harmony-how-chorale-singing-changes-lives.

MaidenSong - A New Choir

Christiana Quick-Cleveland has announced the formation of a new choir for girls ages 11-14.  The first meeting will be July 8 at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 3235 Pope Ave., Sacramento.  For more information, visit www.tianame.com.

RSVP Closing Search for Artistic Director

In March, the Board of Directors of RSVP distributed the following announcement:

Reconciliation Singers Voices of Peace (RSVP), based in the Sacramento CA area, is seeking an Artistic Director. Founded thirteen years ago, this select, auditioned group of 16-18 singers presents two concert sets per year, partnering with local charities and programming repertoire that reflects that charity’s mission; from classical choral literature and madrigals to contemporary music, folk tunes and jazz. This position is part-time, approximately 20 hours per month for 10 months. Salary based on experience. To learn more about RSVP, and for a position description and application materials, visit: www.rsvpchoir.org

Now, the RSVP Board announces that it will be closing the application process on Friday, May 24.  Inquiries should be send to director@rsvpchoir.org. 

Kendrick and SCSO Are Semi-Finalists for The American Prize

Dr. Donald Kendrick, founding Director of the Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra, Director of Choral Activities at California State University, Sacramento -- among so many other roles and accomplishments -- has just added one more.  He is one of six semi-finalists in this year's competition for The American Prize in Conducting -- Choral Division.  At the same time, the Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra has been named one of 13 semi-finalists in the "Choral Performance - Community" category.  In the choral conducting and choral performance categories, finalists will be announced after June 3 and winners after July 15.

Here is how The American Prize is explained:  "The American Prize is a series of new, non-profit national competitions in the performing arts providing cash awards, professional adjudication and regional, national and international recognition for the best recorded performances by ensembles and individuals each year in the United States at the professional, college/university, church, community and secondary school levels. Administered by Hat City Music Theater, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Danbury, Connecticut, The American Prize was founded in 2009 and is awarded annually. The competitions of The American Prize are open to all U.S. citizens, whether living in this country or abroad, and to others currently living, working and/or studying in the United States of America, its protectorates and territories."

There are 7 categories of competition for conducting and 3 for choral performance (community, college/university and youth/high school).  There are separate competitions for vocalists, pianists, composers, chamber music ensembles, orchestras, bands, musical theater and opera companies, stage directors, and art administrators.

There is more information about The American Prize at their website:  http://theamericanprize.org.  Competition updates are at this link:  http://theamericanprize.blogspot.com/.  Other updates are in their Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728.

Good luck, Don and SCSO!

Sacramento Valley Chorus Takes Second

For the second year in a row, the Sacramento Valley Chorus has taken second place in the Region 12 Competition of Sweet Adelines International, held April 20 in Reno.  This time our local ladies missed first place by only 10 points (out of 620), so congratulations all around!  And if you want to see and hear how they did, videos of the competition are available online at this link:  http://sairegion12.org/events/competition/webcast.html.  The cost is $20 for a password.

Carmichael Singing Community

Christiana Quick-Cleveland has announced a new singing group, the Carmichael Singing Community, and invited people to its first gathering, Friday, April 19 in the Barn at Rudolf Steiner College at 7:30 p.m.  Quick-Cleveland has organized another group, the Chalice Ensemble, which gave a concert/sing-along on March 23 and which organizes its season around intensive rehearsal blocks (see this link).

The Carmichael Singing Community is described as a "group for people who enjoy singing together." Quick-Cleveland further explains, "The idea is to bring us all together to support each other in the activity of singing. What we do from there, how we structure it, the form of the specific vision, that is the work of the collective that comes."

For more information, visit the Tiana Music Enterprises website at www.tianame.com or contact Christiana Quick-Cleveland directly at christiana@tianame.com.

Woodland Chamber Singers to Carnegie Hall in 2014

The Woodland Chamber Singers will make "a special appearance at Carnegie Hall in March 2014.  [They] are being featured as a showcase choir in an evening performance for junior high, senior high, and college choruses attending the New York Choral Festival workshop. The opportunity for the Singers to represent the Woodland community in New York City is an inspiration to younger choral singers and a great source of pride."

Fundraising for the trip has begun and will be part of Woodland Chamber Singers' upcoming concerts on May 11 & 12.  For details, see their listing in the Sacramento Choral Calendar at this link.

Webcast of Barbershop Competition

Region 12 of Sweet Adelines International will hold its annual competition in Reno on April 19 & 20.  Local choruses Sierra Gold (Auburn) and the Sacramento Valley Chorus (Sacramento) will, of course, be competing.

This year, for the first time, it will be possible to watch a live webcast of the competition, plus gain access to archives of the competition until May 5.  The quartet competition starts on Friday, April 19 at 3:15 p.m.; the chorus competition starts on Saturday, April 20 at 12:15 p.m.

The cost is $20 for a personal password, and for an extra $5, you can send a "shout out" to your favorite competitor and have it read out loud to the audience.  Unfortunately, the webcast is not compatible with iPhone, iPad or iPod.  Details are at this address:  http://sairegion12.org/events/competition/webcast.html

Sierra Gold Seeking New Director

Barb Tincher is retiring as Director of Sierra Gold Chorus, the women's barbershop chorus that is a chapter of Sweet Adelines and that rehearses at Dewitt Center in Auburn.  The chorus is seeking a new director and taking applications through April 15.  Details are in their website:  www.sierragoldchorus.org.