Written by Mary Dan Eades on July 3, 2013
Imagine the thrill you will feel, singing on the stage of the Granada to a house full of eager supporters, facing the conductor–whether the Choral Society’s own Music Director, JoAnne Wasserman, or perhaps Santa Barbara Symphony Conductor, Nir Kabaretti. Imagine being a part of yearly performances with other local arts organizations, such as State Street Ballet, singing Carmina Burana or a set of Beatles love songs.
You can be a part of all of this excitement ~ the thrill of top rate performances ~ here in beautiful Santa Barbara in two of the most magnificent houses in the world, the newly renovated Lobero Theater and fabulous Granada Theater.
You can audition to sing with our chorus.
SBCS is holding auditions for new singers for the 2013-14 Season by appointment on Saturday, August 17, 2013 and Sunday, August 18, 2013 at the Music Academy of the West in Montecito.
Audition Details:
The Santa Barbara Choral Society is a fully-auditioned chorus of non-professional, semi-professional and professional voices drawn from the Santa Barbara area from Santa Ynez to Thousand Oaks. Auditions for the Santa Barbara Choral Society are held annually prior to the start of the fall season.
Experienced singers interested in joining this highly-acclaimed 100-voice chorus for its 2013-14 Season, are encouraged to schedule an audition now by contacting SBCS Audition Secretary Ann Fryer at: auditions@sbchoral.org. Auditions will be held for all voice parts. A limited number of paid section leader positions may be available.
This fall the Choral Society marks its 66th year of consecutive performance and the 21st year under the baton of Music Director JoAnne Wasserman, who recently announced the repertoire for the season, including:
- November 10 – participation in a Veterans’ Day concert November 10
- December 2013 – annual Holiday concert at the Lobero
- March 2014 Masterworks at the Lobero, featuring Morten Lauridsen’s Midwinter Songs and other works and a special tribute to the composer (with Mr. Lauidsen in attendance)
- April 2014 – a Verdi Tribute with the Santa Barbara Symphony at the Granada
- May 2014 – Choral Exchange event wraps the season up with a masterclass seminar and concert with UC Berkeley Alumni Choir, under the guest baton of acclaimed St. Olaf’s College Choir conductor, Anton Armstrong.
Weekly rehearsals take place at the Music Academy’s Lehmann Hall on Wednesday evenings from 7:00-9:30 p.m. Singers who are interested in auditioning but can’t be at the August 18 audition should contact auditions@sbchoral.org to arrange another date.
Rehearsals:
Day: Wednesday
Time: 7:00-9:30 p.m.
Place: Music Academy of the West
Membership Dues per Season: $225* (subject to adjustment for the 2013-14 season)
Concert attire: white tie and tails ensemble for the men; SBCS concert dress for women, provided by singer.
Occasional additional rehearsals may be scheduled, and sectional rehearsals will also be offered when needed.
Paid section leader positions are available when vacant, with contracts negotiated by the Music Director. If you are interested in applying for a section leader position, please e-mail your resume to: info@sbchoral.org and/or mention your interest when arranging your audition.
American baritone, Ralph Cato has travelled the world extensively, telling stories in song with his warm, clarion baritone voice.
Tenor, Benjamin Brecher has performed over fifty operatic roles with many of the world’s most prestigious opera companies, specializing in the high lying lyric tenor repertoire. He has performed 16 roles with New York City Opera alone. Career highlights include performances with Opera Orchestra of New York, L’Opera de Nice, Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, L’Opera de Montreal, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, among many others. His orchestral solo repertoire includes Mozart, Handel, Orff, Bach, Haydn, as well as many performances of Britten. In 2000 he began performing the great Irish Tenor songs in a concert produced for him entitled A Celtic Celebration, Twenty years later, the show has become a North American hit with performances with 45 Symphonies in North America. Ben continues his discography having added his twelfth recording in 2016 Forgotten Liszt, with pianist Robert Koenig, and will record a new release in 2022 entitled “Three Centuries of Thomas Moore” including the music of Britten, Berlioz, and Sarah Gibson on MSR Classics. He is a Professor of Voice at University of California Santa Barbara, where he has served as the Head of Voice.
Tracy Van Fleet is pleased to return to the Santa Barbara Choral Society. As a soloist, she has performed with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Lüneburg Symphony in Germany, Orquesta Filarmónica de Boca del Río in Mexico, Pasadena Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Los Angeles Bach Festival, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Colorado Philharmonic, USC Symphony and Chorus, and others. She has had many appearances with the Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Opera Pacific, San Diego Opera and Opera Colorado.
Born and raised in Southern California, April Amante is a versatile soprano with expertise and facility in repertoire spanning from early music to contemporary musical theater.