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What is C4?
C4, the world's first Choral Composer/Conductor Collective, is a unique new chorus in New York City dedicated to performing music by living composers. Operated collectively by its singing members, it functions not only as a presenting ensemble in its own right, with concerts at least twice yearly, but also as an ongoing workshop and recital chorus for the emerging composers and conductors who form the core of the group. It is, so far as we know, the first ensemble of its kind, and one of the few choral groups in the nation to focus entirely on the music of our time.
How does it work?
C4's repertoire is primarily drawn from composer members of the chorus, with music by other living composers as a secondary area of interest. Conductor members of the group divide up the repertoire among themselves and work in close collaboration with each composer to achieve the ideal interpretative result. Because of this, there's a lot of room for experimentation and a really diverse and exciting musical experience.
How big is the group?
C4 actually comes in several different shapes and sizes. The innermost group, the C4 Collective, consists of the composers, conductors, and singers who share responsibility for running the group and serve as the organization's Board of Directors. This group chooses all of the repertoire sung at each concert and composes and/or conducts most of it. The C4 Chamber Chorus includes all of the core members plus several other singers to form a group of approximately 16-20. This group rehearses every week (on Thursday nights) and sings all of the repertoire on each concert. Finally, the C4 Symphonic Chorus is a larger group that is called in specifically for works that require additional singers in order to be effective. Singing in the Symphonic Chorus is the lowest-commitment option, as its members can decide on a concert-by-concert basis whether to participate.
Can I join C4?
YES! We are always looking for talented and dedicated singers for our Symphonic Chorus. In addition, we have openings from time to time in our Chamber Chorus and Collective, and you may audition to join these groups as well.
How do I audition, and what do I need to prepare?
You may email audition@c4ensemble.org to set up an audition. Auditions take place at the beginning of the fall and continue on an ad-hoc basis throughout the season. Auditions are simple and do not require any preparation. They include a warm-up exercise to determine your range, several hearing and breathing exercises, a short sight-reading excerpt, and a quartet-singing exercise for blending purposes. If you are interested in auditioning for the Collective as a composer or conductor, you may bring a few representative compositions to the audition and/or prepare a short piece or excerpt to rehearse with us for a few minutes.
We are currently auditioning all voice parts for the Symphonic Chorus. Please see the blog post above for details.
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