The Carnegie Hall National High School Choral Festival
The service being done by this festival to ensure quality choral experiences and
to hand down masterworks to the next generation in such a professional and
uplifting manner is priceless. This was a life-changing, inspirational program.
—Terry Hicks, Bentonville High School, Arkansas
2006–2007 Participating Choir Director
Quick Links
Program Features
Program Timeline
Artist Bios
2007-2008 Festival Details
2008-2009 Festival Details
How to Apply
Questions
Program Features
- No participation fee
- Dr. Jessop visits each high school for a full day of rehearsals.
- Carnegie Hall flies each participating choir director to Utah for a Professional Development weekend.
- Combined choirs rehearse for five days in New York City prior to the final concerts, where they perform with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s under the baton of Dr. Jessop.
- Each choir also performs 10-15 minutes of its own repertoire under the direction of its conductor at Carnegie Hall.
- These are the only high school choirs presented at Carnegie Hall by Carnegie Hall.
Program Timeline
October: The directors of the selected choirs will be flown to Salt Lake City, Utah, for a Professional Development weekend during which they will work with Dr. Jessop and Dr. Mack Wilberg on the preparation of the featured repertoire and participate in the rehearsal process of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
January/February: Dr. Jessop will visit the high school of each participating choir for a full day rehearsal of the featured works.
March: The participating choirs will travel to New York for four days of rehearsals that will culminate in a final concert in Carnegie Hall. Participating choirs perform individually and then combine to perform the featured work, conducted by Dr. Jessop with the Orchestra of St. Luke's and guest soloists.
Artist Bios
Craig Jessop
Dr. Craig Jessop was appointed Music Director and Conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in December 1999, after having served as its associate director since 1995. Before his appointment with the Choir, Dr. Jessop was a lieutenant colonel in the US Air Force music programs, where he served as director of the USAF Singing Sergeants in Washington, DC; as commander and conductor of the Band of the united States Air Forces in Europe; and as commander and conductor of the Air Combat Command Heartland of America Band. He has also been music director of the Maryland Choral Society, the Rhineland-Pfalz International Choir of Germany, and the Omaha Symphonic Chorus. In addition to his work as a conductor, Dr. Jessop has been active as a baritone vocalist, first as a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and later with the choirs of Helmuth Rilling and John Rutter and with the Robert Shaw Festival Singers. He is a previous winner of the Utah State Metropolitan Opera and San Francisco Opera auditions, and has participated in the Merola Opera training program of the San Francisco Opera.
Orchestra of St. Luke's
The Orchestra of St. Luke's, America's foremost and most versatile chamber orchestra, is acclaimed for its mastery of a diverse repertoire spanning the Baroque to the contemporary. First organized in the summer of 1979, the orchestra is engaged throughout the year in a variety of artistic collaborations and special projects, including Carnegie Hall choral workshops. St. Luke's has premiered over 100 orchestral and chamber works and has amassed a discography of over 70 recordings, including three Grammy Award-winning releases. In 2003, St. Luke's launched its own record label, St. Luke's Collection.
The 2007-2008 Festival Details
The 2007-2008 Festival features Brahms's A German Requiem. In the first half of the program, each choir presents 10-15 minutes of music under the direction of its own conductor. Following intermission, the combined choirs join forces with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, conducted by Dr. Jessop, to perform the featured work with soprano Janice Chandler-Eteme and baritone Stephen Powell.
Choirs have already been accepted for this season's program. The 2008-2009 application will be available shortly.2007-2008 Choirs
State College Area High School Master Singers
State College, PA
Robert Drafall, Director
Baltimore City College High School Concert Choir
Baltimore, MD
Linda Hall, Director
Enloe High School Singers
Raleigh, NC
Ann Huff, Director
San Marcos High School Madrigal Singers
Santa Barbara, CA
Carolyn Teraoka-Brady, Director
Oct 18-21, 2007
Professional Development Weekend
Jan-Feb, 2008
School Visits by Dr. Craig Jessop
Mar 7-10, 2008
Festival Weekend
Mar 10, 2008
Festival Performance at Carnegie Hall
2008-2009 Festival Details
2008–2009 Festival Details
The 2008-2009 Festival is presented as part of Honor! A Celebration of the African American Cultural Legacy, curated by Jessye Norman. The Festival will culminate in two performances, one at Carnegie Hall, the other at the Apollo Theater.
Michael Tippett “A Child of Our Time”
2008–2009 Dates
September 25-28, 2008
Professional Development Weekend in Salt Lake City, UT
Jan-Feb 2009
School Visit by Dr. Craig Jessop and Carnegie Hall
March 17-22, 2009
Festival Week
March 20, 2009
Festival Performance at Carnegie Hall
March 22, 2009
A Celebration of the Spiritual And Gospel Music
Performance at the Apollo Theater
Part of Honor! A Celebration of the African American Cultural Legacy
How to Apply
Application
Application materials will be available starting in November, 2007.
Participation Requirements
There is no participation fee for The Carnegie Hall National High School Choral Festival. Carnegie Hall will provide each singer with a score of the featured works. Each choir is responsible for its own costs of transportation, lodging, and food. All conductors must accept the responsibility of adequately preparing the featured repertoire throughout the year. All applicants must be mixed four-part choirs (SATB).
Audition Requirements
To apply for the 2008-2009 Festival, interested choirs should submit an application form (available shortly) along with a recording of the group singing at least two contrasting selections totaling not more than ten minutes. This does not have to be the repertoire the group would perform at Carnegie Hall. Recordings must be submitted in CD format. Please label the recording with the name of the chorus, conductor, and repertoire. Participants in the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 Choral Festivals are not eligible.
Deadlines
Applications and recordings for the 2008-2009 Festival must be received no later than Friday, May 2, 2008. Choirs will receive selection notification by Friday, May 30, 2008.
Questions
For more information or to receive a brochure in the mail, e-mail hschoralfestival@carnegiehall.org or call the Weill Music Institute at 212-903-9625.
This concert is made possible, in part, by an endowment fund for choral music established by S. Donald Sussman in memory of Judith Arron and Robert Shaw.
Programs of The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall are generously supported by the City of New York: Office of the Mayor, the Department of Cultural Affairs, and the New York City Council; and by the New York State Council on the Arts.
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