Swarthmore College Chorus & Garnet Singers
Chorus is a mixed-voice ensemble comprising approximately 75 students, faculty, staff, and community members. Informal auditions (for part-assignment purposes only) take place at the beginning of each semester. Chorus rehearses on Wednesdays from 7:00-8:30 PM with occasional Sunday eveningsectionals. It usually performs one concert at the end of each semester, often accompanied by an orchestra. Past repertoire includes Bach’s Magnificat (BWV 243), Mozart’s Vesperae Solennes de Confessore (K. 339), Brahms’ Liebeslieder Walzer (op. 52), Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Fauré’s Requiem, Boulanger's Hymne au Soleil, Beach's Peace I Leave With You, and many more small-scale works from throughout history and around the globe.
The Garnet Singers is a select, mixed-voice subset of the Chorus composed of approximately 24 students. Membership in the Garnet Singers requires co-enrollment in Chorus. Auditions take place at the beginning of each semester. Garnet Singers rehearses Wednesdays from 8:30-10:00 PM and occasionally on Sunday evenings. The Garnet Singers usually performs one concert at the end of each semester and focuses on works more intimate than those sung by the Chorus. Repertoire from recent years includes motets by Victoria, Lassus, and Palestrina; drinking songs by Beethoven; Sherwin’s “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square”; The Beatles’ “In My Life”; arrangements of spirituals and folk music from around the world; and works by student and faculty composers.
Academic credit is available for both ensembles. Contact Professor Joseph Gregorio at jgregor5@swarthmore.edu with inquiries about Chorus, Garnet Singers, and auditions.
