Tuesday, May 31, 2011

The Choral Project


Joyful sounds poured forth from the Center for Spiritual Living in Willow Glen on a recent Sunday morning. Performing a variety of songs for those assembled was a local choral group with international experience.

The Choral Project was founded in 1996 by Artistic Director Daniel Hughes. He wanted “to create an ensemble that would share concerts specifically intended to transform and heal.” The forty-member ensemble, many of whom come from Willow Glen and other San Jose neighborhoods, rehearses weekly at Le Petit Trianon Theatre in downtown San Jose and performs around the Bay Area and beyond.

Variety is the spice of the Choral Project. They have performed music from the Medieval Period (c. 1000-1250) to 20th-century works, to works that have been written specifically for the choir, and they regularly feature music from other cultures around the globe.

The Willow Glen performance included four songs in three languages. From a rousing Sephardic love song to a toe-tapping spiritual, the Choral Project thrilled the audience and earned multiple standing ovations. One song included five percussionists and another incorporated full choreography—while singing in Japanese.

Therein lies the genius of Hughes. By incorporating “choralography” and instrumentation with a set list that explores stirring melodies as well as more complex pieces, he makes it accessible for even the most casual listener. Whether you are a true aficionado of choral music or you are visiting it for the first time, you could do no better than a Choral Project concert.

Being an organization strongly rooted in education, the group has several outreach programs designed to assist youthful enthusiasts of choral music. The Composition Contest is an opportunity for high school and undergraduate students to flex their muscles with choral writing. Three winners are selected, and their works are performed in the final concert of each season.

In the Mentorship Program, high school students from around the Bay Area apply (via essay and video audition) to participate in concert preparation and one performance during the season. They sing a portion of a concert's set, attending the rehearsals and group activities leading up to that concert.

The Choral Project also started a choral festival in which the very best high schools from the Bay Area (and slightly beyond) can come and sing a set showcasing their fine artistic work. The Choral Project sings for them in kind, and then all the participating choirs join with The Choral Project en masse for some thrilling music making.

All of these programs are designed to keep the fire of choral singing alive in the young people who will become the next generation of choral singers.

The group will be closing their successful fifteenth season in June with a concert entitled Voices of Crystal. Highlights include pieces by Francis Poulenc, Lili Boulanger, Irving Fine, Eric Whitacre, Stephen Schwartz, and Maurice Duruflé, as well as spirituals, rousing gospel music, and folk music from around the globe.
Performances will be at Holy Cross Church in Santa Cruz on Sunday, June 12, at 4:00 pm and Mission Santa Clara de Asis in Santa Clara (where many of their concerts throughout the year take place) on Saturday, June 18, at 8:00 pm. Tickets are on sale at www.sjcp.com and at the door.

Later this year, the Choral Project will travel to Tolosa, Spain, to participate in an exclusive choral competition. After doing very well at the California International Choral Festival in San Luis Obispo, the group received an invitation to the 2011 Tolosa International Choral Competition based on the recommendation from the conductor of a Basque choir that had also performed in San Luis Obispo.

The winner of the Tolosa Choral Competition goes on to compete against five other competition winners in the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing (despite its name, the contest is open to choral groups from other countries).

If Spain is not in your upcoming travel plans, there are plenty of other nearby opportunities to catch the Choral Project in action. After all, they are a homegrown sensation.

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