The College of Musical Arts at Bowling Green State University will hold open auditions for the 2011-12 season of the University Choral Society (UCS), a large chorus consisting of both University and community singers.
The ensemble will perform Handel’s “Messiah” with soloists and the Toledo Symphony Orchestra on Dec. 3 and 4 as part of the symphony’s regular season at the Toledo Museum of Art. On Feb. 25, the choral society, along with other BGSU choruses, soloists and the Bowling Green Philharmonia, will perform an opera gala program to celebrate the opening of new Wolfe Center on campus. On March 25, Toledo’s Rosary Cathedral will be the setting for a performance of Mozart’s “Requiem” with the choral society and Philharmonia. To close the season, on April 21, the UCS will perform Prokofiev’s “Alexander Nevsky” with the Lima Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Lima’s Crouse Performance Hall.
Mark Munson, director of choral activities, serves as the director of the chorus. During his 22 years at BGSU, he has led the Collegiate Chorale, A Cappella Choir and University Women’s Chorus. He is also director of the Lima Symphony Orchestra Chorus and is founder and director of the local vocal ensemble OPUS 181. During the 2005-06 school year, Munson lived in Sweden where he conducted and taught choral music. He is a past president of the Ohio Choral Directors Association.
The chorus rehearses on Tuesday evenings from 7:30-9:30 at the College of Musical Arts, with the first rehearsal scheduled for Aug. 30. For more information, and/or to schedule an audition, call the college at 419-372-2186.
(Submitted by Mark Munson)