Announcing our Fall 2023 Singer Registration with NCS’s New Music Director Dr. Minji Kim

Calling all singers!

Registration is now open for the Fall 2023 music season titled “A Celebration of Unity: Holiday Music from Around the World.”

The Newburyport Choral Society is pleased to announce registration for our Fall 2023 music semester.  Rehearsals will begin at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday evening, September 5th, 2023 at Belleville Church, 300 High Street, Newburyport. 

Who should join us this season?

Everyone is welcome! NCS is a non-auditioned community chorus and accepts members based simply on their desire to sing. Members share a love of singing, a commitment to learning the music, and a willingness to participate in the life and well-being of the chorus.

What are we singing this semester?

We will learn and perform music that celebrates this holiday season with holiday favorites as well as music that honors diverse cultures and holiday practices from around the world. Featuring the Greater Newburyport Children’s Chorus, audience participation and local high school and college poetry groups, the music this semester will be a celebration of the joy in community, our unique cultural identities and passion for our shared humanity in a world that we will sustain with beauty and hope.

This choral program includes:

• a Spanish lullaby by Pablo Sosa titled Heaven is Singing for Joy,
• a robust Moroccan Chanukah composition titled I Sing of the Wonders of the Lord that was written for Boston’s Zamir Chorale by Joshua Jacobson,
• an African celebration of Kwanzaa titled Unity (Harambe) by Chad Weirick,
• a well-known Medieval hymn O Come, O Come Emmanuel arranged by Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály, a Latin chant from the 16^th century,
• a Filipino Christmas carol titled the Sounds of Christmas in Tagalog, accompanied by harp,
• a beautiful arrangement of Silent Night and
• the familiar Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten that includes many of the melodies well-associated with the December season.

First Rehearsal: Tuesday, September 5th, 2023 in the Stage Room at Belleville Congregational Church, 300 High Street, Newburyport. Please arrive by 7:00 p.m. to check in and pick up your music.

Rehearsals will take place every Tuesday night from 7:15 to 9:30 p.m., beginning September 5^th through December 5th.  A Saturday morning rehearsal from 9:30 a.m. to noon, will take place on December 2^nd. A Concert Dress Rehearsal will be held on Thursday, December 7^th starting at 7:00 p.m. and ending at 10:00 p.m.

Concert Dates: Saturday, December 9^th at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, December 10^th at 2:30 p.m.

Health Protocols

Proof of vaccination and age-appropriate boosters are required for new singers who are not yet on record with NCS for proof of vaccination. Please show proof of vaccination to the membership director Penny Lazarus or email a photocopy to members@newburyportchoralsociety.org

Masking Policy – Masks are not required.  But if you have been exposed to an illness but are not yet symptomatic, an N or KN 94/95 mask is highly encouraged.

Zoom is available for all rehearsals. If you’re not feeling well, please stay home and zoom!   Or if you are out of town, zoom in!

Fall 2023 FEES

Registration Fees for members under 65 years of Age: $85.  Registration Fees for members Age 65 and Older: $80   Registration Fees for members who have never sung with NCS before: $50

Music $28* 

Two Mandatory Tickets for a total of $55**                                       

*Note: If you do not own Benjamin Brittan’s Ceremony of Carols then you need to purchase this music at $13 in addition to the $28 music bundle. The music bundle does not include Ceremony of Carols.

**All singers may resell their mandatory tickets to recoup the cost. Full-Time students may join NCS with no fee charged for registration or music. Students are required to pay for two concert tickets, which may be resold at no cost to you. Contact members@newburyportchoralsociety.org for more information.

How do I register?

If this will be your first time singing with us, or if you are a returning singer but did not participate during the Fall of 2022 or Spring of 2023 semester, send an email requesting an invitation for online registration to help@newburyportchoralsociety.org. Please include your voice part. You will then receive an invitation and instructions for online registration.

Returning singers who participated during the Fall of 2022 or Spring of 2023 will register via their Chorus Connection accounts. Just go to https://www.chorusconnection.com/ and sign in.

Join us and meet our NEW Music Director Dr. Minji Kim on Monday, August 28, 2023 at 7:15 p.m. at Belleville Congregational Church, 300 High Street, Newburyport.

Meet our new Music Director, Dr. Minji Kim at a dessert bar and punch reception for NCS members and their guests who may be interested in singing with us in the Fall. After the reception, Minji will describe the music we will be singing for the Winter Concert and lead us in learning a simple musical piece!  Whether you are a current or returning NCS singer, or are planning to join us in the fall as a new singer, please RSVP via email to Penny Lazarus at members@newburyportchoralsociety.org by Friday, August 25^th so that we know how many will be attending.  Tell your friends to attend this special event! We would love to grow our numbers, especially tenors and basses.

Welcome to NCS Music Director Dr. Minji Kim!

Currently serving as Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choirs at Gordon College in Wenham, MA, Dr. Kim holds a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Choral Conducting from the University of Maryland, a Master of Music (MM) in Choral Conducting from The Ohio State University, and a Bachelor of Music (BM) in Composition from Yeungnam University in South Korea.  

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Kim to NCS, and we are already inspired by her enthusiasm and dedication to our mission. She will continue our tradition of singing, learning, and laughing together, while striving for excellence in performance.

If you want to check us out before registering, we encourage you to attend either of our first two rehearsals on Tuesday, September 5^th, or Tuesday September 12th.  Please arrive at 7:00 p.m. to check in and please have proof of COVID vaccination. 

We are so excited about our upcoming season and look forward to seeing you this September!

For assistance or questions, contact help@newburyportchoralsociety.org.

NCS Board of Directors with Dr. Minji Kim

Author: ncsadmin

Comments are closed.

Related Posts