The Chorale is currently recruiting in all voice parts. It is possible to join year round, and especially each time a new program is being introduced.

Click here to learn more about us.

Click here to see our calendar of events.

We are currently planning an exciting 2008-09 season, please see the Upcoming Events page for details.

Requirements for Admission

Admission to the choir is based upon voice quality and reasonable music-reading ability as determined by the director. We strive to maintain high standards. However an audition is not always necessary to enter the group. In most cases, we prefer a short trial period of 3-4 rehearsals to determine whether the Chorale and the prospective member are a good match. At the end of this period, the final welcome can be as simple as an informal talk.

All singers, past and new, are always welcome to meet with our director to receive personal perspectives on their singing, or regarding questions of optimum vocal placement. We trust newcomers to realistically assess their readiness to contribute their best to our collective efforts.

Note that religious affiliation and beliefs are not criteria for admission.

Rehearsal Location and Schedule

Rehearsals are held Wednesday evenings, 7:30-9:30 p.m. in the chapel of Siena College, 515 Loudon Road (Rt. 9), Loudonville, NY. The chapel is very easy to find. Just enter through the campus’ main entrance on route 9, and turn right at the first crossroad. The chapel will be a few yards down on your left.

Rehearsals start and finish on time. Every week, a timeline of the next rehearsal is emailed to the singers, so that those who are not participating in all the upcoming events know when to be present. Occasionally, if the workload imposes it, a rehearsal may go late or start early. Rehearsals are open to the public, and prospective singers are welcome to observe us. Simply announce yourself by email (see contact us, below).

Our performance season is September through June, with interruptions from mid-December to early January and during Holy Week (no rehearsal on Wed. March 19). This generally allows singers who also sing in their parish choirs to be present at their church for the holidays.

Unlike many groups, the NYCC offers the possibility to join on a per-commitment basis. All singers are welcome but not necessarily expected to participate in all events. However, given the size of our ensemble, reliability is a must, and singers should make their best effort to be present for those events to which they commit, and to all the associated rehearsals.

We would expect that singers will commit only to what their schedule, interests, and musical ability dictate. Again, there is no obligation to commit to every event.

Cost

The membership fee is of $50 per year, regardless of the number of events for which you sign up.
A discount is granted to students, families, and on an as-needed basis. This fee includes all the music. Singing attire is provided by the singers.

Contact

If you are interested in joining this unique group, contact our director, Muriel Maharidge at maharidge@hotmail.com, or our board chairman, Tom Herrmann, by email or phone at
tpherrmann195@msn.com (518) 399-8904.

I only have an ordinary voice.

Ordinary voices can make great-sounding choirs! How well all the voices blend together is far more important than how good they sound alone.

I enjoy sacred music but I am not a Catholic.

Although most members see the music as an extension of worship, others simply enjoy this beautiful repertoire for its great artistic value. All lovers of classical sacred music are welcome.

I am already singing with my church choir or another choral group.

There is no need to give it up to join us. Our activities typically do not interfere, as long as the rehearsal times do not overlap. The Chorale takes a break for the busy times of Christmas and Easter. Many current singers are also involved in their own parish choirs and/or other choral groups. You always have the option to bow out of the conflicting NYCC events, or to miss the occasional times when we do sing on a Sunday morning, like for the orchestral masses at historic St Mary’s in Albany.

I like to sing and people tell me I have a good voice, but I do not know how to read music.

Reading music at sight can be learned, and our director is ready to provide guidance. Private lessons, at an extra cost, are also available. If your voice is good, it would be a shame not to put it to good use; and where else could you get such an opportunity to learn how to read music without a rigid class schedule? Since our pace is rather fast, with new music coming every month or more often, reading music is a necessity (there is typically not enough time to memorize the works). But if you have a musical ear and are eager to learn, it would only be a question of a few weeks before you are perfectly at ease with sight-singing.

I don’t know if I have enough time to practice the music.

We try to get as much practice as possible out of our rehearsal time. In addition, a little personal practice is always welcome, but it could be just a matter of 10-20 minutes a day. The important thing is to become familiar with the music, so that rehearsals can be focused on group interpretation rather than note-learning.