By Paul Fontaine, VPA PR and Marketing Intern
Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars. Pure Imagination from Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Old time gospel. Holiday classics – and so much more.
This selection of music seems not to have a lot in common — except maybe one thing — all were performed at the Dec. 4 concert of the Worcester State University Chorale.
“We try to be eclectic in the choice of music we sing,” said Chorale director, Prof. Christie Nigro. “The situation we are singing in dictates our musical choices.”
On Dec.4, the Chorale performed the above selections and more at Our Lady of the Angels Church. On Dec. 11, the group performs in the meeting house at Old Sturbridge Village, joining OSV’s Christmas by Candlelight event for the 15th year in a row. Plus, on Dec. 10 at 8 p.m., the Chorale performs with other area colleges at the Holiday Pops Concert with the Mass. Symphony Orchestra in Mechanics Hall.
In addition to performing locally, the group also sings outside the Unites States. “The Chorale group has been going on international tours since 1993 when we went to Austria and the Czech Republic. We’ve toured abroad every other year since then,” said Nigro. ‘We have been to Spain, Ireland, England, Scotland, almost every country in Europe except France.”
This spring, the Chorale travels to Italy. It is visiting the island of Sicily from May 15 to 22. “Everybody in the Chorale is allowed to go, but some members will not be able to make the trip,” she said. “In addition to the Chorale, we usually have an entourage of non-singers who come along on each trip.”
The total cost of the trip to Sicily is about $60,000. Students pay about $1100 of their own money and raise the rest through a variety of fundraisers.
“Students pay for about a third of the trip on their own,” said Nigro. “The rest of the money comes from fundraisers, which the students work on for two years.”
Two popular fundraisers are their fall leaf raking event where Chorale students earn money raking leaves for homeowners. Another fundraiser happens around Valentine’s Day where people hire Chorale singers to serenade that someone special.
With the holiday season approaching, area organizations often call on the group to perform at an event. “We receive lots of calls to perform during the holidays,” Nigro said. “We sing as much as we can, but we don’t charge for everything.”
The Chorale group was originally formed in 1989 when Nigro first joined the WSU faculty in the Visual and Performing Arts Department. “I kind of started it,” she said.
The Chorale started with four voice students and 12 non-students. Since then, the number of WSU students in the Chorale has grown to 33 members.
“Most members of the Chorale are students and WSU alumni,” said Nigro.”Everyone who wants to join must audition first. Currently, the Chorale is looking for a couple of bass vocalists to join the group before traveling to Sicily.”
Students interested in being part of the Chorale sign up for MU 300, a one-credit course offered through the VPA department.
“Students who take the class aren’t in it for the credit, they take the class because they love to sing,” said Nigro.
Visual and Performing Arts at Worcester State University 