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2007 – 2008 Choral Ensemble Descriptions

Membership in the following ensembles is open to any student, and academic credit is given for participation (1 credit per semester). You are welcome to sing in more than one ensemble. Membership is considered a full year’s commitment.

The University of Connecticut Concert Choir (CC) is one of the premier choral ensembles at UConn and is recognized as one of America's finest collegiate choral ensembles. The diverse membership of approximately 45 singers includes graduate and undergraduate students from all academic disciplines. The Concert Choir repertoire is drawn from the great Western European choral repertoire of the last five centuries, as well as choral literature from choral traditions the world over.

The Concert Choir, together with the University Wind Ensemble, has performed at the Music Educators National Conference Eastern Division In-Service Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, for which they received the Certificate of Excellence for their "high quality of musical performance and outstanding contribution to the success of the professional conference." In 1989, the choir gave the world premiere performance of David Maslanka's Litany for Courage and the Seasons in New York City. The group collaborated with the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra in the world premiere recording of Sydney Hodkinson's Missa Brevis, which was released as a compact disc for Centaur Records. The Choir was also featured in a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor for the November 1995 visit of President Bill Clinton for the dedication of the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center at the Storrs campus. The Choir made its Carnegie Hall debut in June of 1998.

The Concert Choir will be featured singing Carmina Burana by Carl Orff and an American Music program this fall. They will perform the Mozart Requiem and an all-Beethoven program in the spring, which includes the "Finale" to the Ninth Symphony. The Concert Choir is conducted by Dr. Constance DeFotis, director of choral activities at the University of Connecticut.

The University of Connecticut Women’s Chorus (WC) is an outstanding choral ensemble at UConn, which is recognized as one of America's finer collegiate choral ensembles specializing in the repertory for women's voices. Approximately 35 graduate and undergraduate students from all academic disciplines sing in WC. Each season, the Women’s Chorus performs several concerts of a cappella and accompanied choral music written for women's voices from various epochs and choral traditions.

This season’s fall concert in von der Mehden Recital Hall features music of Samuel Barber and Elliot Carter. In the spring, we will combine with other UConn choral ensembles to perform an all-Beethoven program. The Women’s Chorus is conducted by Dr. Constance DeFotis, director of choral activities at the University of Connecticut.

Founded in 2006, the University of Connecticut Festival Chorus (FC) is a "town and gown" ensemble and meets each Monday evening to share in the joy of singing and to learn excellent choral repertoire! FC is comprised of approximately 80 student, faculty, staff, and community singers. The Chorus performs two concerts of major choral and/or choral-orchestral repertoire each season in von der Mehden Recital Hall on the University of Connecticut campus. FC repertory embraces music from the 18th century to the present, such as Handel's Israel in Egypt, Mozart's Requiem, Mendelssohn's Elijah, and Stravinsky's Mass.

This year, the Festival Chorus will join the Concert Choir and Women's Chorus in a performance of Carmina Burana by Carl Orff in the fall and an all-Beethoven program in the spring. The Festival Chorus is under the leadership of Dr. Constance DeFotis, director of choral activities at the University of Connecticut.