Cappella Festiva Chamber Choir

Cappella Festiva Chamber Choir, directed by Dr. Christine Howlett, produces creative, high-quality concerts of compelling classical music. Founded in 1974 as a small group of distinguished musicians dedicated to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, the ensemble has evolved into a choir of 80 voices with a broad repertoire. It frequently collaborates with the local orchestras and other outstanding area musicians.

 

Recent performances have included Cecilia McDowall’s Music of the Stars, Handel’s Messiah and Dixit Dominus, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection," Dan Forrest’s A Bronze Triptych, Bruckner’s rarely performed Mass in D minor for two pianos and timpani, and works by Karen Marolli, Elaine Hagenberg, Rosephanye Powell, and many others.

 

Members of Cappella Festiva have performed at Carnegie Hall under the batons of Sir John Rutter and Daniel Bara. Cappella Festiva has commissioned and premiered works such as Everyone Sang by James Fitzwilliam, Earthsongs by Shavon Lloyd, and an upcoming commission by Shawn Kirchner in honor of Cappella Festiva’s 50th Anniversary.

The Chamber Choir is an auditioned ensemble with members drawn from across the mid-Hudson Valley. Many of our singers are trained vocalists, with several actively performing as soloists. A unique aspect of the ensemble is that soloists for Cappella’s standalone fall and spring concerts are selected from within the choir. 

 

Cappella rehearses Monday evenings from 7:15-9:15 p.m. in the Vassar College Chapel. Auditions are usually held at the end of August and the beginning of January every year. Cappella Festiva invites experienced choral singers to fill out an interview form, which will allow you to upload a recording of your singing. If you have a question about auditions, please send an email to cappellafestiva@gmail.com or call 845-853-7765. 

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Members of the Cappella Festiva Chamber Choir pay $200 per year to participate in the ensemble. There is an additional fee for the cost of music.