It's Our 35th Anniversary Season!

Cappella Festiva invites you to join us for a 35th anniversary celebration. We have a wonderful array of concerts and venues scheduled throughout the year, returning to Vassar College the weekend of May 15 and 16, 2010 for the conclusion of this gala year with a choral symposium, a celebratory concert in Skinner Hall, and a gala reception honoring our past directors – founder Jameson Marvin, Luis Garcia-Renart, and James Bagwell.

We began as a small, professional choral ensemble – but over the years, we've emerged as one of the region's most unique music organizations. Today Cappella Festiva includes an auditioned adult chorus of professional and skilled amateur singers; an acclaimed Treble Choir for boys and girls ages 9-18; and an annual Children's Summer Choral Festival that provides young singers with a intensive two-week music experience.

The last several years have been particularly rewarding for Cappella Festiva as we have grown under the artistic direction of Christine Howlett. Now nearly 50 choral members strong, Cappella Festiva Chamber Choir expanded the usual concert season in 2008-2009 to include performances with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and at Carnegie Hall performing Rutter's Gloria, as part of a larger chorus. Cappella returns to Carnegie in January as part of a larger chorus performing Morten Lauridsen's Lux Aeterna.

Now in its fourth year, the Cappella Festiva Treble Choir continues to grow and fill an artistic void in the Hudson Valley, providing an opportunity for young singers to explore diverse vocal repertoire. The Summer Festival has met with resounding success, as young artists gain valuable vocal training and musicianship skills in an intensive program. Since its founding, the Treble Choir has performed at Vassar's Holocaust service in 2006, with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic in a performance of La Bohème in 2007, and at the 2008 Bard SummerScape production of King Rogerat the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts (nationally reviewed).

Because Cappella Festiva is a nonprofit organization run solely by committed volunteers, we rely on the generous support of friends like you. Your tax-deductible gift will underwrite essential performance and rehearsal costs, as well as fees for professional orchestras, and scholarships and support for the treble choir and Summer Festival.

As we enjoy each moment of this anniversary season, we wish to thank our season sponsor, the Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union, for its generous support. We extend our deepest gratitude to both Vassar and Bard Colleges for 35 years of continued collaboration in the arts, made possible through the dedication of our artistic directors past and present. These have been years filled with shared musical vision enriching not only the college communities and Cappella Festiva, but the community at large. Finally, we wish to thank you, our regular season contributors and concert attendees who have supported us throughout these many years. We couldn't have done it without you!

For additional information contact us at info@cappellafestiva.org

Cappella Festiva, PO Box 2111, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601