Three Choral Ensembles to Join in a Concert of Hope and Resilience

On Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 7:30 pm at Bloomington’s Christ Community Church, three of the area’s premier choral ensembles will join forces to present “The Promise of Living: A Concert of Hope and Resilience.” The evening event will be co-hosted by guest artists Sylvia McNair and Marietta Simpson, and will feature the IU African American Choral Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Raymond Wise; Voces Novae, led by Susan Swaney, Artistic Director; and the Bloomington Chamber Singers, under the direction of Gerald Sousa.

The concert will pay tribute to the strength of the human spirit, reminding us that even in these challenging times there is promise, hope, and resilience. The three ensembles will offer selections drawn from a wide and rich variety of styles, showcasing the power of text and music to uplift and inspire. Included on the program will be works by local composers Cindy Kallet, Dominick DiOrio, and the premiere of Don Freund’s “Dr. King’s Garment of Destiny.” The evening will include group singing led by Dr. Wise that will invite audience participation. Sylvia McNair and Marietta Simpson will offer readings drawn from world cultures.

The evening of the concert, the Lincoln Street Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington will present an art exhibit in the lobby of the church entitled “The Promise of Living.” Students from the Club will have been involved in listening to the Aaron Copland composition for which this concert is named, and their artistic impressions of that piece will form the basis for their exhibit.

The event has been generously underwritten and is free and open to the public. However, space is limited, so tickets will need to be reserved in advance. They will be available on this website soon. Any remaining tickets will be available at the door the evening of the concert.

  • Location: Christ Community Church (503 S. High Street, Bloomington, IN)

  • Date: Saturday, March 25, 7:30 pm

  • Admission: Free but ticketed. Reserve tickets/livestream link

Bloomington Chamber Singers to Present A Ceremony of Carols: Songs of the Season

Our 2022–23 season continues Sunday, December 11, as BCS invites the Bloomington community to ring in the holiday season with an afternoon of carols. The program features the sopranos and altos of BCS singing Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols with harp accompaniment, and the tenors and basses answering with Conrad Susa’s Carols and Lullabies: Christmas in the Southwest for chorus, harp, guitar, and marimba. The concert will conclude with On Christmas Night, by Bob Chilcott, a musical celebration of the Christmas story. Conducted by Music Director Gerald Sousa and Assistant Conductor Caio Lopes, the concert will take place at 3 pm at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 100 N. State Road 46, Bloomington.

One of Britten’s most popular works, A Ceremony of Carols is based on 14th-century Middle English lyrics and carols, as well as from seasonal poetry written in the 16th century. It draws on familiar seasonal themes: the baby, Jesu; Mary, the rose of virtue who bore him; and the “happy fault” of Adam’s sin that led to Christmas joy. Britten composed the work in 1942 while crossing from the United States to Britain aboard a cargo ship.

Conrad Susa wrote Carols and Lullabies as a companion piece to Britten’s work. It is based on a collection of traditional Spanish carols popular in the southwestern United States, blended with the image of a piñata party for the baby Jesus, adding guitar and marimba to Britten’s harp.

On Christmas Night is made up of eight carol settings that follow the sequence of the Christmas story—from the fall of Adam, through the promise of a child’s coming and the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, to the birth of the baby Jesus. Chilcott incorporated the texts and melodies of several traditional carols into his settings.

Location: St. Mark’s United Methodist Church (100 N St Rd 46 Bloomington, IN)

Sunday, December 11 at 3 pm

Tickets: $20 General Admission, $15 Student In-Person Admission, $20 Livestream

Buy tickets online or at the door.

Bloomington Chamber Singers to present American Choral Gems

Bloomington Chamber Singers to present American Choral Gems

On Saturday, November 12, the Bloomington Chamber Singers begin their season with a night of choral music featuring some of America’s most beloved composers from the 20th century alongside new contributions to the repertoire. Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and Aaron Copland’s In the Beginning anchor a program that also includes recent compositions by Bloomington’s own Dominick DiOrio and BCS soprano Abby Henkel. Music by Barber, Lauridsen, Hagenberg, and Paul Simon round out the evening. Conducted by music director Gerald Sousa, the concert will take place at 7:30pm at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 100 N St Rd 46, Bloomington, Indiana.

Bloomington Chamber Singers announces its 2022-2023 season

Bloomington Chamber Singers announces its 2022-2023 season

Bloomington Chamber Singers will open its 53rd season Saturday evening, November 12th, 2022, with a concert of American Choral Gems. The 40-voice chorus under the direction of Gerald Sousa will perform masterworks by composers from the 20th century as well as those currently forging new paths in the repertoire. Among the works to be presented will be Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and In the Beginning by Aaron Copland. Also on the program will be pieces by Barber, Lauridsen, Dominick DiOrio, Elaine Hagenberg, and a few surprises as well!

BCS to present Masterworks by Mozart and Brahms

BCS to present Masterworks by Mozart and Brahms

On Saturday, April 23, 2022, the Bloomington Chamber Singers will conclude its 52nd season with two masterworks of the choral literature: Wolfgang Mozart’s “Great” Mass in C minor, K. 427, and Johannes Brahms’ sublime elegy, “Nänie.” op. 82. Conducted by musical director Gerald Sousa, the concert will take place at 7:30pm at Christ Community Church (503 S. High St., Bloomington, IN).

New year, new solutions

New year, new solutions

Bloomington Chamber Singers successfully brought live choral music back to our community last fall with two important events, October’s performances of Considering Matthew Shepard and December’s concert of music by Benjamin Britten. We were gratified by the support we got from our audiences, both in-person and via livestream. Even more significant, we were able to rehearse and perform together safely; no infections were reported after our fall schedule was completed.

Benjamin Britten concert program

This is a text version of the concert program for the Benjamin Britten concert on December 5, 2021 at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church. To view a PDF, click here.

Gerald Sousa, Music Director
Brian Samarzea, Assistant Music Director
Claire Tafoya, Assistant to the Conductor
Nicholas Sienkiewicz, Gallery Chorus Conductor

A CEREMONY OF CAROLS, OP. 28
BENJAMIN BRITTEN (1913–1976)

…

Bloomington Chamber Singers to present seasonal concert of works by Benjamin Britten

Bloomington Chamber Singers to present seasonal concert of works by Benjamin Britten

On Sunday, December 5th, 2021, the Bloomington Chamber Singers will present a program of seasonal works by English composer, Benjamin Britten. Culminating with Britten’s dramatic oratorio, Saint Nicolas, Op. 42, the program will also feature one of Britten’s best-known and most-performed works, A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28.

The Herald-Times: "Chamber Singers' 'Considering Matthew Shepard’ Still Waiting”

Bloomington Chamber Singers was recently featured in an article by Connie Shakalis of the Herald-Times, covering our preparation and postponement of the “fusion oratorio” Considering Matthew Shepard by Craig Hella Johnson.

You can view the article on the Herald-Times website or read a PDF (reproduced with permission). Originally printed March 21, 2021.

BCS plans to perform Considering Matthew Shepard on October 9 and 10, 2021 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.

Connections & Reflections: BCS Arrangers

Paul and Ian Compose Unique Arrangements of Beloved Holiday Carols

Paul Pisano remembers that as an 11-year-old boy, his father began taking him to barbershop chorus rehearsals. Eventually, Paul became the group’s rehearsal pianist, sang baritone with them, and became enamored with a cappella ensemble singing and classical music.

As he grew older, he began to realize that jazz required the same level of musicianship as classical music, but used a different skill set. Listening to and watching jazz musicians perform changed his viewpoint about working strictly with classical music. Several Christmases ago, Paul was listening to a holiday album by The Manhattan Transfer—a Grammy-award winning jazz vocal group—when he realized that arranging a piece in a similar style would come naturally to him.

Connections & Reflections: Making the Holiday Cards

Video editor David Rohlfing: A Race Against Time

Q: You learned to use two new software programs in ten days. You edited six videos in a week. How did your background prepare you for such a venture?

D: I am a retired physicist and have spent much of my life learning to do things by reading and experimenting. I taught physics at a small liberal arts college for five years and then moved to an industrial research lab for the next 30 years, where I worked with computer data. I have programmed in BASIC, FORTRAN and object-oriented Pascal. All the Pascal programming from about 1986 to the present was self-taught, especially the transition from DOS-based to Windows-based programming. I created a Windows lab data analysis program that is still being used 10 years after I left the company! In other words, I am well practiced at problem solving and utilizing the capabilities of a computer.

Connections & Reflections: Holiday Cards Are Here!

Songs of Comfort and Joy

Last night, BCS members gathered around our Zoom screens for a "launch party” to celebrate the release of our Holiday Card Project. Together we watched the fruits of our labor: ten virtual holiday cards, each with a unique vocal flavor and style. Weeks ago, singers had recorded their voices in song, alone at home—a terrifying challenge, by the way!—and last night was the first time we had the opportunity to watch and hear the finished pieces. In addition to singing, some members played horn or recorder; others wrote new and creative arrangements of beloved carols. A few board members spent many hours editing video, looking for just the right image to go with the music, audio-mixing the sound of our voices together, and coaxing other local musicians and organizations to submit videos to the project. It was a labor of love. Music Director Gerry Sousa coached us, encouraged us, and inspired us to try our best. The result? Truly memorable vignettes of peace, joy, and memories of the holiday season; a project that many other local music groups contributed to as well; and a true community holiday celebration—a way to be close even though we need to be apart right now.

Connections & Reflections: Holiday Cards Coming Soon!

Beloved Bloomington Traditions

For over fifty years BCS has shared holiday musical offerings with the Bloomington community as part of our mission to provide excellence in performance, education, and community engagement. Seasonal activities have included singing at the Festival of Lights and the Holiday Market, caroling at area retirement facilities, and the annual Messiah Sing-Along, attended each year by hundreds of area singers.

This year, the restraints of the pandemic have challenged us to find new ways to brighten the holiday season. In collaboration with other local choirs and musicians, BCS is proud to present an online holiday playlist:

Connections & Reflections: Russ Lyons

Passions and Adventures

I started piano lessons at age seven. I practiced dutifully, but it was not a passion. In elementary school, I enjoyed singing, but at some point, I “realized” that it was “sissy” for a boy to sing, and so I stopped. In college, I had a wonderful piano teacher, the first one who really taught me how to be musical. I remember in particular being introduced to Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. One day while practicing, I was struck that I enjoyed playing piano more than doing math, which was my major. At the same time, I realized that I did not want to practice eight hours a day, so I decided to stick to my plan to be a mathematician and keep music as a hobby. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Orchestra played in Severance Hall, an acoustic marvel that was right near campus. As students, we got free or very cheap admission, so I went all the time. The concert I remember most was that of Mahler's Second Symphony, “Resurrection.” It was a revelation …

Connections & Reflections: Julie Grindle

Home Away from Home

I’m so thankful for the Chamber Singers.

As a lifelong professional musician, I was looking for an outlet when my husband David and I moved back to Bloomington in 2001. We had met at IU as grad students, and David was back to teach in the theater dept. I don’t remember how I heard about BCS, but I remember auditioning mid-year (Jan. 2002), and was thankful to join, both as a musical outlet, and to have a night out (we had two VERY small children at that time). The group quickly became a home away from home, and I was happy to serve as Gerry’s assistant beginning in 2003 until we moved to Upstate NY in 2010.

Connections & Reflections: Dana Cattani

No Emotion That Voices Cannot Render

My 88-year-old father died in September. He had a stroke, and for more than a week he was unconscious and under hospice care. It was clear that he was unlikely to regain consciousness.

As I anxiously awaited updates from my family in California, I felt an overwhelming need for music. I hummed, I played the piano, and I told my smart speaker to find The Navy Hymn, so I could sing along to one of my father’s favorites.

Connections & Reflections: Ruth Sanders

There is Nothing Like Making Music with a Group of People

One year when my husband was a Writer-in-Residence at Exeter Academy, my small daughter became sandbox friends with a child whose mom sang in a community chorus. When she urged me to come with her to sing, I protested that I had never sung in a choir. I didn’t think of myself as a singer; from 6th grade through high school I played flute and oboe in bands and orchestras, then moved on to other pursuits. Oh, well, doesn’t matter, she said, come anyway. We sang Ives and Brahms, and I was hooked.

Connections & Reflections: John Buchanan

Always in the Choir

Some of my earliest musical experiences were in church. I was in every choir growing up and cantored regularly for mass. I had hymn numbers memorized and was best friends with every adult choir member by the time I was in high school. I held extra rehearsals with friends at my house, took piano and voice lessons, and toured music schools. In 2014, I began a Bachelor of Music in Voice at the IU Jacobs School of Music and studied with the supportive, patient—and funny—voice professor, Wolfgang Brendel.

The first time I felt the immense power a choir can produce came in my first semester at Jacobs.

Connections & Reflections: Kathy Powell

Not for the Faint-Hearted

When I attended IU in the 1960s, Vietnam was heating up and all my male friends were concerned about getting into the bands or orchestras of the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marines. Graduating in 1967–69 was a crap shoot because they were going to be drafted. It was a different time.

In the 1960s, the IU School of Music’s Summer School was not for the faint-hearted. All students were in ensembles, and in the summer that meant outdoor opera in the old football stadium, located in the center of campus where the Arboretum is now.

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Bloomington Chamber Singers
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