Music Fall Choral Festival
SAVE THE DATE!
The Westmont Department of Music is delighted to invite high school choirs from across the Southern California region to participate in our annual Fall Choral Festival. Participating choirs perform for one another, receive coaching from Westmont's choral faculty, and hear the Westmont choral ensembles in concert. Adjustments to the festival program may occur pending official health guidelines.
We are proud to continue our tradition of both providing dinner and offering our festival free of charge to help provide access for any choral programs interested in attending. However, as enrollment is limited and choirs are accepted in order of registration, early applications are highly encouraged.
Choral Festival Date: Friday, October 29, 2021
Application Deadline: Friday, September 17, 2021
Festival Highlights:
- All choirs will receive clinics with the Westmont College choral faculty and guests
- All choirs will perform individually for one another in our closing evening concert, as well as all together for our mass choir piece, Rene Clausen's Set Me As A Seal*
- College bound senior singers will have the opportunity to audition for Westmont music scholarship** consideration during the festival
- Free pizza dinner!
*Directors are responsible for obtaining copies of Clausen's Set Me As A Seal (Shawnee Press) for their singers
**Scholarships include the cost of private lessons and may range up to $10,000. To apply for a scholarship click here!
Faculty Clinicians:
- Dr. Daniel Gee, director Westmont College Choir and Chamber Singers
- Dr. Steve Hodson, Westmont professor of piano and conductor the Santa Barbara MasterChorale
- Dr. Michael Shasberger, director Westmont Orchestra, Santa Barbara Chamber Singers, former director Westmont College Choir
- Dr. Grey Brothers, director Westmont Choral Union
Registration Costs:
- There is no fee for participation. All choirs are invited to dinner at no cost to participants if the festival is held in an in-person format and large group gatherings for meals are allowed.
- Due to the fluid nature of scheduling this year there is no cancellation fee, but PLEASE do everything you need to do to arrange for transportation as soon as possible to assure that you can attend! We will prepare for you, so please prepare to participate!
Traditional Schedule*:
1:30 P.M. Arrival
1:45 P.M. Greeting, vocal warm up, mass choir selection rehearsal
2:00-4:00 P.M. Choral Clinics
4:30 P.M. Mass Choir Rehearsal
4:45 P.M. Concert Session #1 - Choral Union & half of high school choirs perform
6:00 P.M. Dinner Break
7:00 P.M. Concert Session #2 -College Choir & second half of high school choirs
9:00 P.M. Approximate ending time
* Subject to change
Traditionally concerts are free and open to the public. Should health guidelines allow, parents and other guests are requested to arrive early to guarantee seating. A revised schedule will be announced closer to the date of the event when more is known about what is possible this fall.
Attire:
All guest choirs should plan on performing in traveling attire and not bring or wear formal attire for the final concerts due to limited dressing facilities at the festival sites, length of travel for some choirs, comfort of the singers, and the general relaxed nature of the Festival events. Many schools in the past have opted for matching shirts, simple black & white comfortable attire, or other easily adaptable concert dress. Please be considerate of all of our guest choirs in keeping to this practice.
Contact us:
Keith Erickson
Music Operations Specialist
music@westmont.edu
(805) 565-6240