Hudson Chorale, the area’s largest semi-professional community chorus, is welcoming new members in all voice parts (SATB) when rehearsals begin at the Pleasantville Presbyterian Church for a concert program to be presented in June 2017. “Singer-friendly” auditions by appointment will take place on Monday evening, January 30, 2017. Few things in life are as satisfying as joining a group of talented, enthusiastic singers and making beautiful music together every week. Turn your wishes into action and come join us.

The concert program, to be performed on Friday, June 2 and Sunday, June 4, 2017, and entitled Requiem, features Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s beloved and timeless Requiem (with full orchestra and soloists), a favorite of choral singers, along with a collection of pieces that illustrate the different ways in which composers from baroque to contemporary, with vastly differently styles and from various cultures, have used the universal language of music to express the emotions associated with death, loss and mourning - each in their own unique way. The additional works include Henry Purcell’s masterful Funeral Music for Queen Mary (with brass and timpani), along with other choral gems by Johannes Brahms, Antonio Lotti, and American-born William Schuman, as well as a selection of Negro Spirituals. This eclectic and moving program, to be performed in the wonderful acoustics of the church of St. John the Evangelist in White Plains, NY, will be a joy for singers to master and an audience to receive.

Since 2010, Hudson Chorale has been performing in venues throughout the county, bringing the best in choral singing to the Hudson Valley. Concerts have included traditional choral pieces such as the Brahms Requiem, lesser known works such as the Mass in D by John Knowles Paine, more contemporary work by composers such as Morten Lauridsen and Eric Whitacre, selections from Broadway, and even new pieces commissioned by the chorus.

As membership has grown, so has audience size, and the chorus now enjoys a region-wide reputation for outstanding programming and superb artistry. The Chorale’s goal is to provide both audience members and singers with the best possible experience in choral singing, offering exciting programs that include the entire choral repertoire - from the great masterpieces of the past to engaging contemporary compositions. Singers looking for a new or additional choral family are encouraged to consider the Hudson Chorale.

This is the chorus’ second season under the direction of Ira Spaulding, Hudson Chorale’s Music Director/Conductor. Maestro Spaulding’s personal motivation, and also what he instills in and insists on in his singers and musicians, is to pay maximum respect to each note and phrase in each piece of music in order to achieve the auditory and emotional results the composer had in mind. Hudson Chorale is pleased to be the beneficiary of the experience he acquired over a 36-year career of performing, conducting and teaching conducting master classes in more than 60 countries all over the world. Spaulding also currently holds the position of Professor of Vocal and Choral Music at City College of New York.

Audition and rehearsal location: Pleasantville Presbyterian Church, 400 Bedford Rd, Pleasantville, NY. Rehearsals for the spring season take place on Monday evenings from 7:15-9:45 pm starting on February 6, 2017. For additional information and/or to arrange a time for an audition, contact Jeanne Wygant at or call (914) 478-0074. To learn more about the chorus, visit the website at www.HudsonChorale.org. Concert samples can be found by searching Hudson Chorale on www.Youtube.com.