Choral Workshop

Directed by Kent Tritle

July 7-14, 2024

Union College
807 Union Street
Schenectady, NY 12308
United States

Tuition:

$710

Victoria and Steffani - the Spanish Golden Age meets Italian Splendor

The Choral Workshop will run week two of the Amherst Early Music Festival
July 7-14, 2024. Registration for the Festival is now open!

Already registered? You can order the vocal scores here!

Repertoire will include two pieces by Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548 – 1611): Motet and Missa O Quam Gloriosum for choir with organ, as well as Agostino Steffani (1654 – 1728): Stabat Mater for choir and strings.
The Choral Workshop will perform on Friday, July 12, 7:30 p.m. at Nott Memorial, as part of the Festival Concert Series

Spend a week with highly-acclaimed conductor Kent Tritle and experience the joy of choral singing. The Choral Workshop gives the serious amateur choral singer an opportunity to learn and perform masterworks of the Renaissance and Baroque, within the context of the largest early music festival in the United States.

Choral Workshop faculty: Kent Tritle, Director, Mark Hanke, assistant, with section leaders Anna Lenti, Phillip Cheah, Stephen Biegner, and Peter Stewart.

Come sing with us!

For 2024: TO APPLY: Please send a recording of a vocalization of your choice demonstrating the bottom to top of your vocal range along with a 16 bar excerpt from recent repertoire that you have performed. This can be with or without accompaniment, a solo piece, or your part in a choral work. Send by email to Click here to show mail address along with a short resume of your choral experience, and current choral affiliations. Include last 2-3 years of repertoire, major works, and early music that you have performed. *If you auditioned for Choral Workshop in 2022 or 2023 you do not need to audition again for 2024. If you auditioned in 2019 you will need to audition again for 2024, unless you are a current member of the Oratorio Society of New York.

There are many YouTube videos and online information on how to make a voice recording using a mobile phone.
Need help? Give us a call! +1-781-488-3337

New to the Festival? Fear not! Our open and inviting atmosphere will make you feel at home right away.

Faculty

Kent

Tritle **

Voice

Anna

Lenti

Voice

Stephen

Biegner **

Voice

Phillip

Cheah **

Voice

Peter

Stewart **

Voice

Where

View larger map

Festival FAQs

TRAVEL
Union College
807 Union Street, Schenectady, NY 12308
Close to a major airport (15+ minutes from Albany International Airport), accessible by Amtrak (station is 1 mile from Union College) and Megabus, Union College is 3 hours away by car from NYC and Boston, and 4 hours from Montreal.

MEALS
The meal card is $178 and covers one week of meals starting with dinner on Sunday, June 30, (July 7 for second week) thru breakfast on Sunday, July 7, (July 14 for second week) .A la carte meal prices are $6.75 / $9.50 / $10.50 for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

ROOMS
All standard rooms are air-conditioned with private baths. Budget rate housing is not air-conditioned, with hall baths. Basic linens (sheets, pillow, and towels) are included with all housing. Beds are twin, extra long.

Scholarships & Work-Study

Work-Study

All participants are welcome to apply for tuition assistance through AEM's Work-Study program. Please fill out the work study application form to apply. Notice of awards will be sent in late May. Questions about Work-Study can be sent to Click here to show mail address.

AEM Scholarships

To apply for all AEM scholarships, including the Washington McClain Scholarship, please fill out this form.

The Washington McClain Scholarship Fund honors the memory of Baroque oboist and Amherst Early Music faculty member Washington McClain. It will fund scholarships for students who have historically been underrepresented in the early music field, including African-American, Latinx, and others. Awards will cover tuition, room and board, and travel and may be used for any in-person AEM event, particularly the Amherst Early Music Festival.

In addition to scholarships, AEM offers work study tuition to all of our workshops, and the Amherst Early Music Festival. Work study is an option for students of any age.

Other Organizations

American Recorder Society offers scholarships to recorder players for Weekend Workshops as well as Summer Festivals. Any ARS member who needs financial assistance to attend a weekend or week-long workshop may apply for this scholarship. Deadline: May 15.

Lute Society of America scholarships include full tuition, room & board, and some travel. Due Date May 1.

Early Music America offers scholarships to help students attend early music and historical performance workshops in North America. Applications due April 1.

Viola da Gamba Society of America offers Grants-in-Aid to its members to attend Workshops and Masterclasses.

The Historical Keyboard Society of North America has established the Funaro Fund Award to support its members to offset the cost of traveling to an early keyboard event.

COVID-19 Policy

The COVID virus is still with us, though happily most people will only get mildly sick if infected. The Festival is a congregate living environment, with a population ranging in age from 1 to 90+ where we live, play music and dance together for several days. Our main approach to preventing Covid will be testing, and, like last year, we need everyone to test and to let us know if they experience symptoms.

Rapid testing is required to attend the Festival for all participants, faculty, and staff. Take an at-home COVID test the day before arrival at Union College, and a second test the morning of arrival. Two-week students take a third test on Saturday July 6. Send a photo of your tests to Click here to show mail address before you arrive on campus. Bring extra tests in case you develop symptoms during the week. (visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.htm… see a list of symptoms)

Masking is optional. Masking decisions are personal and will be respected.

Vaccinations and boosters are encouraged but not required. Anyone with symptoms, or feeling unwell should notify us immediately, and not attend any classes or events. Self evaluation: Before coming to the Festival if you are experiencing symptoms that may indicate Covid, regardless of test results, DO NOT COME. Notify us right away. Anyone who tests positive for Covid at the Festival will be moved to a room in an isolated wing, and have cafeteria meals delivered, or could leave campus.

If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID before arrival, please do not come to the Festival until your symptoms abate and you have tested negative twice over two days. f you begin to experience symptoms of COVID while at the Festival we will ask you to isolate or leave campus until your symptoms abate and you have tested negative twice over two days

(Updated May 22, 2024)