The Choral Project facts for kids
The Choral Project is a special group of singers, called a choir, based in San Jose, California. It was started in 1996 by its artistic director and conductor, Daniel D. Hughes. This choir includes both male and female voices, making it a "mixed-voice" group.
The Choral Project has a big goal: "to heal our world through music and words." Their main purpose is "to connect to one another through choral theater, education and musical excellence." This means they use singing, acting, and teaching to bring people together and perform music really well.
Contents
What Music Do They Sing?
The Choral Project sings many different kinds of music. Their songs range from very old composers like Bach, Debussy, and Brahms to modern composers. Some modern composers they sing include Kirke Mechem, Rene Clausen, Michael Ostrzyga, Stephen Jackson, and Eric Whitacre.
Where Have They Performed?
This choir has performed in many famous places. In the United States, they have sung at:
- Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
- Mission Dolores Basilica in San Francisco
- Mission Santa Clara de Asís
- Holy Cross Church in Santa Cruz
They have also traveled internationally to perform in:
During their 2001 tour, The Choral Project even performed live on Mexican National Radio!
Awards and Competitions
The Choral Project has won awards in singing competitions.
- In 2004, they competed in Wales at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod. They earned second place in the Mixed Choir division.
- In 2007, they competed in California against six choirs from around the world. This was at the California International Choral Festival & Competition. They won awards in all three categories:
- First place in the Choir's Choice category
- Second place in the Required Music category
- Third place in the Folk Music category
Music for a Cause
Every year, The Choral Project dedicates one of its concerts to a special social issue. This helps to bring attention to important topics through music.
For example, in February 2017, the choir performed a piece called Street Requiem. They performed with a famous singer named Frederica von Stade. This concert helped to highlight the issue of homelessness. The Santa Cruz Sentinel newspaper wrote about how the music spoke for people experiencing homelessness. It asked the audience to think about why they might ignore people on the streets.
Their Albums
The Choral Project has released eight music albums. These are recordings of their performances that people can listen to. Their albums include:
- The Cycle of Life
- Of Christmastide
- Americana
- Water & Light (this is their best-selling album on the Clarion label)
- Winter
- One is the All
- Tell the World
- Yuletide (their most recent album, featuring holiday songs)
The Choral Project also sang on a recording with the San José Chamber Orchestra. This recording was for a dramatic musical story called Choose Life, Uvacharta Bachayim. It was created by composer Mona Lyn Reese and writer Delores Dufner, OSB.
Community Involvement
The Choral Project is also a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. This means they are a group that works for a good cause, not to make money. They are involved in helping their community in several ways:
- They have a choral mentorship program for local high school students. This helps young singers learn and grow.
- They perform together with choirs that visit their area.
- They hold an annual Choral Composition Contest for high school and college students. This encourages young people to write new music.
