Students in grades 3-12 as of Fall 2017 are invited to audition for the award-winning Voices of Central Arkansas (VOCA) Choir May 16-17 at the University of Central Arkansas’s Snow Fine Arts Center Room 312A.
Auditions will run from 3:30-6:30 p.m. each day.
VOCA is the umbrella organization for several vocal ensembles: Choristers, Concert Choir and High School Choir. The intent of the choir is to promote musical literacy and performance by providing a challenging, high-quality choral experience for its members. Rehearsals are held at UCA each Monday of the school year, excluding holidays, from 6-7:30 p.m. for the Choristers and Concert Choir and from 7–8:30 p.m. for the High School Choir.
Students will receive instruction in vocal technique and learn a varied repertoire of music in this program, which is part of the UCA Community School of Music. Choristers and the Concert Choir are both treble-voiced choirs (Choristers for grades 3-5 and Concert Choir for grades 5-8). Both ensembles help develop the voices of singers who are exposed to a wide variety of choral literature. The High School Choir is an inter-generational mixed voice choir for vocalists in grades 9–12 and college. These singers will learn advanced choral literature encompassing a wide variety of styles and genres.
Dr. Sheri Cook-Cunningham, VOCA director, said VOCA had won many awards in its 22-year history, most recently at the St. Louis Heritage Music Festival, where the group earned a Gold Rating and was named Outstanding Vocal Ensemble. Each year VOCA performs at nationally recognized music festivals, which have included Carnegie Hall in New York City, Chicago and Dallas. Additionally, the group has sung with the Conway Symphony Orchestra, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, the Russian Ballet, and in the UCA production of The Marriage of Figaro.
A short audition is required for membership. No previous experience is required.
Students auditioning for Choristers or Concert Choir will be asked to match pitch, demonstrate their vocal range, and perform a familiar tune, such as “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” during the five-to-10-minute audition. Students auditioning for High School Choir will also be asked to perform a short-prepared piece approximately two minutes in length. Additional information is available at www.vocasings.com.
For more information and to schedule an audition, contact Cook-Cunningham at scookcunningham@uca.edu or call 816-718-9200.
The UCA College of Fine Arts and Communication includes the Departments of Art, Music, and Film, Theatre and Creative Writing, as well as the School of Communication. The college’s primary mission is the preparation of the next generation of artists, educators and communicators. For more information about CFAC, visit www.uca.edu/cfac or call 501-450-3293.
