College Choir

About College Choir

The Middlebury College Choir is a community of undergraduate singers of diverse musical backgrounds and interests who value choral music performance as a substantial part of their education and development as global artistic citizens. Conducted by Jeffrey Buettner, Christian A. Johnson Professor of Music at Middlebury, the Choir sings music from and inspired by different global traditions, including American music and new compositions and arrangements, as well as music of the Western European choral canon. College Choir performs several concerts and events each year, including the annual Lessons and Carols in December and Senior Week Choral Concert in May.

College Choir performs choral-orchestral works with student and guest instrumentalists, and student and alumni soloists are featured frequently. Favorites include extended works by Claudio Monteverdi, Benjamin Britten, Tarik O’Regan, Johannes Brahms, 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.

College Choir enjoys exploring new music and new ways that choral music can reflect individual and ensemble identity. In 2025, the College Choir joined a consortium of choirs across the United States in commissioning We Are Phoenix, by Minnesota composer Timothy Takach. In 2019, the College Choir commissioned and premiered And I Shall Sing by Christina Whitten Thomas ‘01, with text by Maria Partee developed in part with Choir student ideas and reflections on the meaning of ensemble community.

College Choir enjoys singing music and arrangements by alumni, including Annie Beliveau ‘18, Ronnie Romano ‘20, Kai Fukuda ‘24, as well as by conductor Jeffrey Buettner.

Recordings

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/choirauditions

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.