Collaborations With Young Singers And Composers

The Reading Choral Society has artistic collaborations with many young singers.
Berks Classical Children’s Chorus first collaborated with RCS on April 24, 1993 to sing Carmina Burana by Orff with RCS Music Director Gail Poch (performed at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, West Reading).  BCCC has been guest of RCS at Holiday concerts for nine seasons. In January 2003, BCCC joined RCS for a performance of Venetian Baroque Music.

      In April 1999 the West Chester University Concert Choir joined RCS to perform G. Verdi’s Requiem and April 2003 RCS performed Ralph Vaughn Williams’ Sea Symphony with their Concert Choir and Mastersingers

     In November of 2000 the Hamburg Area High School and the Reading High School Chamber Singers performed John Rutter’s Gloria with RCS.

     The Albright College Concert Choir in Nov. 2002 joined RCS for our “Songs of Democracy” program performing their own selections and with the choir for Howard Hanson’s Song of Democracy .

     When the RCS performed Handel’s Messiah in April of 2004, an audition was held for the solos from area college vocal performance students. The RCS gave a stipend to the young talented voices that were chosen. This performance gave the young singers a professional debut with a chorus and orchestra.   The soloists were Jacqueline Dunleavy Boyle, soprano; Mary Beth Gray, Mezzo Soprano; Kevin S. Brisbin, Tenor; and David Bowman, Bass.

These educational pursuits have been a great benefit to young singers. Dail Richie, BCCC Executive Director and singing member of RCS writes:
“The BCCC singers have the unique opportunity to hear and to join Berks County’s premier adult community chorus.  The singers witness first hand that the choral art is a life-long activity.  The experience deepens their knowledge of opportunities that they will have after BCCC.”

“The RCS holiday concert also gives the BCCC’s singers an understanding and appreciation of the SATB choral literature.  The BCCC singers, who routinely perform music that is written just for children’s choirs, perform advanced mixed choir music in the RCS holiday concert.  For example, during the RCS holiday concert 2003, the BCCC students studied and sang (from memory!) Daniel Pinkham’s Christmas Cantata, one of the most famous American choral works of the 20^th century, with the RCS singers.  The BCCC singers will long remember this music!   Put simply, it gets them hooked at an early age!”