Cornell University Chorus
Encyclopedia
Founded in 1921 as the Cornell Women's Glee Club
, the Cornell University Chorus' tradition of excellence has been formed by high standards of musical achievement and versatility from all corners of the university. The Chorus, under the skillful direction of Professor Scott Tucker since 1995, has a repertoire spanning eight centuries and ten languages, including masses, motets, spirituals, folk songs
, and a variety of other classical and contemporary pieces. Aside from its constantly changing and increasing selection of women's music, the Chorus also performs major works with the Cornell University Glee Club
, such as Beethoven's Missa Solemnis
, Handel's Messiah, and Bach's Mass in B Minor.
Raised to distinction by Professor Thomas Sokol, the group's director from 1957 to 1987, the Chorus performs annually during Convocation, Family Weekend, Senior Week, Commencement, and Reunions Weekend, and has fostered group unity through events such as weekend choral festivals and off-campus retreats. In addition to the concerts on campus, the Chorus also boasts extensive experience in professional settings, working under the baton of Nadia Boulanger
, Eugene Ormandy
, Erich Leinsdorf
, Michael Tilson Thomas
, Julius Rudel
, and Karel Husa
on the stages of Carnegie Hall
, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center
, the Philadelphia Academy of Music
, and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center
. The Chorus has also been featured on two nationwide broadcasts: a special half hour on CBS radio
, and an appearance on PBS's MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour
as part of an artistic feature on former director Susan Davenny Wyner. The Chorus has had the privilege to collaborate with world musician Samite of Uganda, participate in a production of Richard Einhorn's Voices of Light
with Anonymous 4
, and perform several major works with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, including most recently Bach's Mass in B Minor
and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9
with the Cornell Symphony Orchestra.
In the past several years, the Chorus has expanded its achievements with successful tours to New England
, the Midwest, the Southeastern United States
, California and Canada. In addition to these extended trips, the Chorus also travels to other universities for competitions and festivals. In the past, the women have performed at Harvard for the Centennial Celebration of the Radcliffe Choral Society
as well as joint concerts with the Toronto Women's Chorus, the Penn State Glee Club, and the Wellesley Chorus. And finally, perhaps the greatest recent accomplishment of the Chorus has been to begin touring internationally, with a trip to Taiwan in 1998, a joint tour with the Glee Club to Venezuela in the summer of 2001, and a tour to Italy in 2005. The Chorus and Glee Club are currently planning a joint tour to China for the spring of 2008.
Glee club
A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs—glees—by trios or quartets. In the late 19th Century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition...
, the Cornell University Chorus' tradition of excellence has been formed by high standards of musical achievement and versatility from all corners of the university. The Chorus, under the skillful direction of Professor Scott Tucker since 1995, has a repertoire spanning eight centuries and ten languages, including masses, motets, spirituals, folk songs
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, and a variety of other classical and contemporary pieces. Aside from its constantly changing and increasing selection of women's music, the Chorus also performs major works with the Cornell University Glee Club
Cornell University Glee Club
The Cornell University Glee Club is the oldest student organization at Cornell University, having been organized shortly after the first students arrived on campus in 1868. The CUGC is a sixty-member chorus for male voices, with repertoire including classical, folk, 20th century music, and...
, such as Beethoven's Missa Solemnis
Missa Solemnis
Missa Solemnis is Latin for solemn mass, and is a name which has been applied to a number of musical settings of the mass, especially particularly serious or large-scale ones.The following are notable examples:...
, Handel's Messiah, and Bach's Mass in B Minor.
Raised to distinction by Professor Thomas Sokol, the group's director from 1957 to 1987, the Chorus performs annually during Convocation, Family Weekend, Senior Week, Commencement, and Reunions Weekend, and has fostered group unity through events such as weekend choral festivals and off-campus retreats. In addition to the concerts on campus, the Chorus also boasts extensive experience in professional settings, working under the baton of Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger was a French composer, conductor and teacher who taught many composers and performers of the 20th century.From a musical family, she achieved early honours as a student at the Paris Conservatoire, but believing that her talent as a composer was inferior to that of her younger...
, Eugene Ormandy
Eugene Ormandy
Eugene Ormandy was a Hungarian-born conductor and violinist.-Early life:Born Jenő Blau in Budapest, Hungary, Ormandy began studying violin at the Royal National Hungarian Academy of Music at the age of five...
, Erich Leinsdorf
Erich Leinsdorf
Erich Leinsdorf was a naturalized American Austrian conductor. He performed and recorded with leading orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and Europe, earning a reputation for exacting standards as well as an acerbic personality...
, Michael Tilson Thomas
Michael Tilson Thomas
Michael Tilson Thomas is an American conductor, pianist and composer. He is currently music director of the San Francisco Symphony, and artistic director of the New World Symphony Orchestra.-Early years:...
, Julius Rudel
Julius Rudel
Julius Rudel is an American opera and orchestra conductor who emigrated to the United States from Austria at the age of 17 and studied conducting at the Mannes College of Music in New York City. He then forged a 35-year career with the New York City Opera, from 1944 to 1979, and was the Music...
, and Karel Husa
Karel Husa
Karel Husa is a Czech-born classical composer and conductor, winner of the 1969 Pulitzer Prize and 1993 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Music Composition...
on the stages of Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
, the Philadelphia Academy of Music
Academy of Music (Philadelphia)
The Academy of Music, also known as American Academy of Music, is a concert hall and opera house located at Broad and Locust Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1857 and is the oldest opera house in the United States that is still used for its original purpose...
, and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Saratoga Performing Arts Center
The Saratoga Performing Arts Center is an amphitheater in Saratoga Springs, New York, which presents summer festivals of all kinds of music , dance, and opera, as well as a Wine & Food Festival...
. The Chorus has also been featured on two nationwide broadcasts: a special half hour on CBS radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
, and an appearance on PBS's MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
PBS NewsHour is an evening television news program broadcast weeknights on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States. The show is produced by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, a company co-owned by former anchors Jim Lehrer and Robert MacNeil, and Liberty Media, which owns a 65% stake in the...
as part of an artistic feature on former director Susan Davenny Wyner. The Chorus has had the privilege to collaborate with world musician Samite of Uganda, participate in a production of Richard Einhorn's Voices of Light
Voices of Light
Voices of Light is a 1994 musical composition by Richard Einhorn. It was inspired by the silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. Live performances of the composition have accompanied screenings of the film...
with Anonymous 4
Anonymous 4
Anonymous 4 is a female a cappella quartet, based in New York City. Their main performance genre is medieval music, although they have also premiered works by living composers such as John Tavener and Steve Reich...
, and perform several major works with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, including most recently Bach's Mass in B Minor
B minor
B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. The harmonic minor raises the A to A. Its key signature has two sharps .Its relative major is D major, and its parallel major is B major....
and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9
Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)
The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, is the final complete symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1824, the symphony is one of the best known works of the Western classical repertoire, and has been adapted for use as the European Anthem...
with the Cornell Symphony Orchestra.
In the past several years, the Chorus has expanded its achievements with successful tours to New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, the Midwest, the Southeastern United States
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
, California and Canada. In addition to these extended trips, the Chorus also travels to other universities for competitions and festivals. In the past, the women have performed at Harvard for the Centennial Celebration of the Radcliffe Choral Society
Radcliffe Choral Society
The Radcliffe Choral Society is a 60-voice all-female choral ensemble at Harvard University. Founded in 1899, it is one of the country's oldest women's chorus and one of its most prominent collegiate choirs. With the all-male Harvard Glee Club and the mixed-voice Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium...
as well as joint concerts with the Toronto Women's Chorus, the Penn State Glee Club, and the Wellesley Chorus. And finally, perhaps the greatest recent accomplishment of the Chorus has been to begin touring internationally, with a trip to Taiwan in 1998, a joint tour with the Glee Club to Venezuela in the summer of 2001, and a tour to Italy in 2005. The Chorus and Glee Club are currently planning a joint tour to China for the spring of 2008.