The Choirs

UChoir Fall Concert 2017Harvard University Choir Performs in the Sanctuary of the Memorial Church. File photo by Jeffrey Blackwell/Memorial Church Communications.

The Sunday Choir

Approximately 40 singers form the Sunday Choir, a group that performs a wide range of choral literature for the Sunday services of The Memorial Church in Harvard Yard. The choir attracts singers who like a challenge, singing a wide variety of music at a professional standard with a weekly performance deadline. The group performs in the annual Christmas Carol Services and Spring Concert, and collaborates with other musical groups, both on and off campus. The Sunday Choir also undertakes both international and domestic tours. In recognition of their commitment, all members of this group are paid. Auditions for positions in the Sunday Choir are held early in the Fall Term.

UChoir members rehearse before Carols 2017Sunday Choir Quick Facts

  • Over 170 years of singing on campus
  • Harvard's only paid choral ensemble
  • Provides the music for weekly Sunday services at the Memorial Church
  • Performs several larger concerts throughout the academic year. Past works have included Bach's St John Passion, Britten's St. Nicolas, and Handel's Alexander's Feast.
  • Sings a diverse and challenging repertoire spanning musical styles through the ages.
  • Is comprised of singers from the College as well as Harvard's graduate programs, including a variety of academic interests, from music to physics to WGS.
  • Welcomes people of any, or no, faith.

 

The Choral Fellows

The Choral Fellows are a group of sixteen dedicated singers drawn from the Sunday Choir who additionally perform in the daily Morning Prayers services in Appleton Chapel, one of Harvard’s oldest traditions. This ensemble also represents the University Choir on tour and at special events and provides a demanding, yet exciting, musical experience for those involved. These singers are appointed for the full academic year after extensive auditions held the previous Spring and receive free voice lessons as well as a significant stipend.

Cara Jacobson '18

Choral Fellows Quick Facts

  • Sixteen members of the Sunday Choir
  • Receive an additional annual stipend and free voice lessons in return for providing music at the Morning Prayers services in Appleton Chapel and for representing the Memorial Church on tour and at special events
  • Appointed by audition in the spring for the duration of the following academic year.

 

 

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