Singers, silent due to their status as the ultimate super spreaders during the pandemic, are plotting their return with a vengeance over the coming months. In particular, two new organizations are forming to fill the sonic void.
The Union
Alexandra Schoeny Trevor Kroeger
The Union is a new vocal ensemble for singers who “have ideas, are invested in process, and believe that rehearsal is the laboratory of creativity” according to its website. Founded by a nonprofit named Breath Collective, the ensemble is being led by Alexandra Schoeny, a singer, and Trevor Kroeger, a conductor. Their promise is to put the interests of the singer first: “a fully professional vocal ensemble founded on musical excellence, artistic empowerment and servant leadership.”
The organization is planning several concerts for 2021-22, as ensemble-in-residence at St. Rose Church on Riverside Drive (where Kroeger is organist and music director), plus a plan for eventual touring and recording opportunities.
- October TBA: Gala and Kickoff
- Dec. 16, 17 and 19: Christmas Concert
- March 13: Bach’s St. John Passion
Submit application and materials by midnight, June 18. Live auditions via Zoom will follow. All contract offers will be sent by July 30. Travel funds are available for non-local singers.
Viva Voices
Just across the Ohio, conductor/singer Tony Burdette has founded Viva Voices, a tiered choral organization planning to serve multiple generations of singers, from elementary-age children through adulthood, and drawing from both Kentucky and Ohio. The aim is to be inclusive of all ages, and across a broad spectrum of ethnicities and backgrounds.
- Children’s Choir: grades 4-7
- Youth Chorus: grades 8-12
- Chorale: a community choir for adults who love to sing
- Chamber Ensemble: small, select choir of singers from the Chorale
- Singers: a new professional choir coming in 2022
Burdette spent 10 years as conductor of the Northern Kentucky-based Voices of the Commonwealth, is a member of Cincinnati Opera Chorus, and a busy freelance soloist, outside of pandemic years.
Performances will be announced this summer. Rehearsals begin in the fall.