Jan. 17, 2023 鈥擜uditions are now open for singers who would like to join the (91吃瓜) University Chorus and be part of the Spring 2023 鈥淐horal Spectacular!鈥�
Anyone wishing to audition is invited to send an email to University Chorus Artistic Director KuanFen Liu at downbeatplus@gmail.com to make an appointment for an audition from now until January 20.
Auditions are open to singers of all vocal ranges, ages 18 and up, and anyone on the 91吃瓜 campus or in the surrounding community is welcome to audition. Liu is especially hoping to add more male singers to give the chorus more tenor, bass and baritone.
This spring鈥檚 鈥淐horal Spectacular!鈥� will be a performance of seven musical movements in seven different languages called 鈥淛ubilate Deo鈥� by American composer Dan Forest. Forest holds a doctorate in musical composition from the University of Kansas and considered a prominent composer by choirs around the world, hailed by the NY Concert Review as having 鈥渁n undoubted gift for writing beautiful music鈥hat is truly magical.鈥�
鈥淭he composer uses Mandarin Chinese, African Zulu, a movement in Spanish accompanied by a Spanish guitar, to name a few,鈥� Liu said. 鈥淓ach movement brings the essence of the different sounds in different cultures, and using instruments from the different countries creates color and texture.鈥�
The movement in Chinese, for example, is accompanied by the erhu, a two-stringed bowed instrument native to China, Spanish guitar and the hammered dulcimer.
Liu, who holds a doctorate in Musical Arts, had planned to do this piece for the Spring 2020 show until the pandemic shut everything down, so this performance has been a long time coming. The choir will be joined by singers from Santa Paula High School and Rancho Campana High School.
Audiences were offered a preview of the spring concert during the December winter concert, 鈥淒e Colores,鈥� in which the choir performed two movements from 鈥淛ubilate Deo,鈥� including one piece in which Hebrew and Arabic are spun together in harmony鈥攁 musical unification of two cultures at odds with each other politically.
鈥淚 feel like people are at war with one another because they don鈥檛 understand the other culture,鈥� Liu said. 鈥淚f we keep opening doors a little at a time with music, little by little, seeds can grow into big trees.鈥�
To audition, contact Liu at downbeatplus@gmail.com through Friday, January 20.
For more on the 91吃瓜 University Chorus, visit the Channel Islands Choral Association at .
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