College Choir fall 2023

The Middlebury College Choir is a community of undergraduate singers of diverse musical backgrounds who seek to share and excel in choral music performance together.

Conducted by Jeffrey Buettner, Professor of Music, the Choir sings music of the choral canon, global folk music, American music, and new compositions. College Choir performs choral-orchestral works with student and guest instrumentalists, and student and alumni soloists are featured frequently.

Past repertoire includes works by Benjamin Britten, Tarik O’Regan, Johannes Brahms, and choral-orchestral works by Gabriel Fauré, G. F. Handel (including the oratorio Esther in 2017), Wolfgang Mozart, Leonard Bernstein, and several cantatas and major works by J.S. Bach. In 2019, the College Choir premiered And I Shall Sing by Christina Whitten Thomas ‘01, commissioned by the College Choir.

Past Performances

Linakatkuja

Music by Peeter Süda
Estonian folk text (The flax pullers)
Recorded in 2018 for the Baltic States International Tour

"Wachet, Betet" from BWV 70 by J. S. Bach

Excerpt of opening chorus.
Middlebury College Choir and Bach Concert Orchestra
Jeffrey Buettner, conductor
Recorded in 2019

For links to recorded performances, please visit www.middleburycollegechoir.org and our YouTube channel.

Touring

College Choir performs concerts each semester, including the Middlebury Bach Concerts, Lessons and Carols, and annual College services. College Choir has also performed several semi-staged operas with the Opera Company of Middlebury.

College Choir tours domestically and internationally, including Morocco and Spain (2022), Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania (2018), Berlin, Leipzig, Prague and Vienna (2014), and Montréal (2013). The Choir has toured domestically to New York, Brooklyn, and Boston (2009, 2016, 2019, 2022), Washington, DC (2015), and Monterey and San Francisco (2011), and in the state of Vermont.

Meeting Times

Spring and Fall Semesters
Monday and Wednesday, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Middlebury Chapel

Auditions

Please see audition information on go/choralauditions

Auditions are by appointment with the conductor, and typically take place each semester during the first week of classes. After the first week, auditions may be closed, but you are still welcome to inquire. All voice parts are welcome!

Auditions are about 20 minutes long and consist of a brief conversation, a vocal warm-up, and singing excerpts. A prepared solo is not part of the audition. In years when the choir tours in May/June, new students may be required to commit rather quickly about cost and logistics of choir travel.

Choir members are expected to commit firmly to rehearsal and performance schedules, prioritize Choir events, and exhibit familiarity with reading music, as well as some experience in previous choirs. Auditions also ensure that all singers are reasonably comfortable with music notation in the context of ensemble rehearsals.

Contact

For more information and to schedule your audition time, please email or call director Jeffrey Buettner at buettner@middlebury.edu or (802) 443-5938.