Bay Area Offerings |
Worldwide Offerings |
Bay Area Offerings
Louis A. Botto Choir (LAB):
Brand-new for the 2010-2011 season, Chanticleer is constructing a Bay Area mixed Youth Chorus – singers aged 14-20. The purpose of the group is to promote high-level, small ensemble training for the area’s top young singers and to provide community service through free performances. The program includes rehearsals at Chanticleer’s home base (the Kanbar Center at 44 Page Street), classes on advanced choral topics, and performances for retirement communities and under-privileged schools. Students may receive college credit for their participation.
Calls for membership in this ensemble are on-going and project-based. A typical commitment is for three months with rehearsals and community performances on weekends and 2-3 total weekdays of school performances. If you are interested in joining, contact Ben Johns. Members are selected by teacher recommendation and an informal audition.
Singing-in-the-Schools (SITS):
Under the auspices of this program begun in 1986, Chanticleer's 12 singers, Mr. Johns, and special guest artists pay visits to participating schools in the greater San Francisco Bay Area and work with choral students in grades 5-12 in a variety of educational activities (e.g. master classes, lecture-concerts, and skills-targeted lessons). SITS serves as a means of discovery for students new to singing (or to formal music instruction in general) and as a valuable source of expert training and inspiration for more advanced young singers. Visits are sequentially designed to complement a schools music program. Topics may include vocal technique, music theory, sight singing, solfege, music terminology, music history and ensemble-building exercises. SITS visits are offered at no cost to Bay Area elementary, middle, and high schools.
If you are a Bay Area School music director and wish to be included in Chanticleer’s SITS program, click here to email us (put your school name and “SITS” in the subject line).
Chanticleer: Open Door
Chanticleer: Open Door is a program for music teachers in the Bay Area. Elementary, middle, and high school music teachers are invited to Chanticleer’s headquarters at the Kanbar Center, 44 Page Street, San Francisco, for a half-day of Chanticleer rehearsal observation and workshops aligned with arts education standards. The Chanticleer open rehearsal is interactive. Teachers are invited to sit or stand in between Chanticleer singers during rehearsal or move about the room. At the end of rehearsal, teachers are allowed to ask questions of the Chanticleer Ensemble and Music Director.
Following the open rehearsal, age-appropriate study guides linked to upcoming Chanticleer concerts are offered with other strategies for engaging the young singer. In addition, ten choir directors will be invited to bring quartets of students to receive focused work on repertoire planned for festivals and competitions. A day of Chanticleer rehearsal observation and singer interaction will be extended to an additional three student-run choral groups.
If you are a Bay Area School music director and wish to be included in Chanticleer’s Open Door program, click here to email us (put your school name and “Open Door” in the subject line).
Concert Preparation
Concert Preparation is a program targeted especially (but not exclusively) for schools whose music programs may not support a choir. In addition to receiving a ticket discount, students are engaged in an interactive class that explores the repertoire of an upcoming Chanticleer concert. These lectures, which include historical background, style analysis, listening examples, and sight-readable excerpts, are planned with the hosting teacher to supplement existing curriculum. Every Bay Area elementary, middle, and high school is eligible to receive this service free of charge.
If you are a Bay Area School music director and wish to be included in Chanticleer’s Concert Preparation program, click here to email us (put your school name and “Concert Prep” in the subject line).
Youth Concerts
In February 2010 Chanticleer gave their first-ever set of free Youth Concerts to Bay Area students. A total of 757 students, many for the first time, got to hear Chanticleer live. Among the schools who came were Alvarado Elementary, West Portal Elementary, Bayshore Elementary, Garnet J. Robertson Intermediate, North Shoreview Montessori, Hoover Middle, Pacific Boychoir Academy, Mission High, International Studies High, El Camino High, Galileo Academy, and Lick-Wilmerding High School.
Each concert is tailored to fit the age and ability of the students.
Worldwide Offerings
The Chanticleer Ensemble, as part of its extensive touring performance schedule, administers fifteen to twenty education events in colleges and universities nationwide each year. The offerings this year include the following:
Chanticleer in Sonoma Choral Workshop
June 19-23, 2013
In August 2005, Chanticleer teamed with the Sonoma County Choral Society — now Sonoma Bach — at Sonoma State University to offer the first Chanticleer in Sonoma Choral Workshop. After five highly successful summers, the sixth workshop is planned for June 2013. It is aimed at adult amateur choral singers who love ensemble singing and want to improve their skills; click here for further information on the workshop and application process. The 12 members of Chanticleer participate in coaching sessions, workshops, and demonstrations of rehearsal techniques, as well as more informal interactions with workshop participants.
“There was such a sense of fun and joy amidst the serious business of making beautiful music. Chanticleer’s accessibility and high level of professionalism and respect for the participants combined to provide a fabulous time!” -Workshop participant
Education does not end with school, and choral singing is extremely popular among adults across the nation. According to a national study by Chorus America, nearly 28.5 million adults and children regularly perform in choral groups in the U. S., more than any other art form. One or more adults in 15.6 percent of households in America performed in at least one chorus, and of those, almost 45 percent performed with more than one chorus. The study also estimates the number of choruses in the U.S. to be 250,000.
Lecture-Concert (for an unlimited student audience).
This event requires an appropriate venue and works best for younger students or groups that do not have performance-ready repertoire. A Lecture-Concert lasts one hour and allows for questions to the Ensemble.
Master Class (for 1-2 choral groups with performance-ready repertoire).
These one-hour workshops are administered either by Chanticleer's Music Director or the full Ensemble. Master Classes allow for questions at the end and are in great demand across the country. Observers are welcome, but the sale of tickets to a Master Class is forbidden.
Chanticleer Sing-Along (for any collection of singers, unlimited number of participants).
This event allows singers to make music amid the Chanticleer Ensemble in a one-hour intensive rehearsal situation, led by Chanticleer's Music Director. This option works well for including multiple or partial choral groups or the singing public at large. Singers prepare in advance of this event music chosen by Chanticleer.
Pre-concert Lecture
Pre-concert lectures by Chanticleer's Music Director last 30 minutes and occur about one hour before a Chanticleer concert. These workshops and lectures are best booked in proximity to a Chanticleer concert. If you are interested in hosting a Chanticleer residency,click here to email us (put your location and “Residency” in the subject line).
Chanticleer Youth Choral Festival
Begun in 2000, this annual event is a day-long gathering of approximately 200 of the students taking part in our Bay Area Music Education program during the school year. During this unique non-competitive festival, students work closely with the Chanticleer singers, taking part in small-group vocal workshops (with two Chanticleer singers assigned per group) and a full-scale evening concert featuring performances by youth groups and the full Chanticleer Ensemble. In honor of the 10th anniversary of the Youth Choral Festival, Chanticleer “upgraded” last season’s Bay Area Festival to a National Festival called ”The Singing Life.” Twelve schools (over 400 students!) from across the United States were invited to attend this four-day event in San Francisco that culminated in a concert at Davies Symphony Hall on Monday, March 29, 2010. Over the past four years, the Chanticleer Youth Choral Festival appeared in Fresno, CA, Akron, OH, Spivey Hall in Morrow, GA, Fort Worth’s Bass Hall, Ogu Elementary School in Tokyo, Japan, Hibbing, MN, and New Canaan, CT. Choral directors at the high school level who would be interested in hosting a Youth Choral Festival should contact Chanticleer’s Education Director Ben Johns. Put your location and “YCF” in the subject line.