Contact Us

	Shaw, Dr. Martha Director of Chorale Activities Professor of Music 706-233-7274 mshaw@shorter.edu
	Nicholson, Nickie Administrative Assistant of Choral and Recruitment Activities 706-233-7366 nnicholson@shorter.edu

2009-2010 CHORAL SEASON

Shorter Chorale Fall Fundraiser*
Star Spangled Salute!
September 19, 2009 @ 6:30 p.m.
Hilltop Café at Shorter University
$40 per person

Join the Shorter Chorale as we honor the service men and women of the American Armed Forces, both past and present. This exciting evening will begin with an outdoor reception in the front circle courtyard, and will continue with a delightful dinner and U.S.O. style revue in the Hilltop Café. Help us support our troops as we pay tribute to their continuing sacrifice for our freedom.

Shorter Chorale Fall Concert
Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 7:30 pm in Brookes Chapel .

Join the Shorter Chorale as we celebrate our 42nd year with a concert of varied languages and styles ranging from Johannes Brahms to David Childs. This concert will also feature choral works of Poulenc and Rachmaninoff. Rich diversity and contrasting tonal colors will make this a most memorable evening.

The Shorter Chorale and Chorus in Concert with the Rome Symphony Orchestra*
Handel’s Messiah
December 5, 2009 @ 7:30 p.m. at Rome City Auditorium

This Christmas, the Shorter Chorale and Shorter Chorus are thrilled to be combining forces with the Rome Symphony Orchestra to present the Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah under the direction of Dr. Martha Shaw. Soloists will be members of the Shorter voice faculty. The Rome Symphony will complete the program with holiday favorites conducted by Dr. Richard Prior, RSO conductor. You won’t want to miss this exciting event.

Shorter Chorale Spring Concert*
April 24, 2010 @ 7:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Rome

One of the most beautiful choral works of the twentieth century is the Requiem of Maurice Duruflé. The composer masterfully combines the traditional chant of the requiem mass with exquisite harmonies that produce a choral sound that is both ancient and modern at the same time. This orchestration will feature organist Steven Wooddell, one of the newest members of the Shorter accompanying staff.

Choral opportunities at Shorter College include the Shorter Chorale and the Shorter Chorus which are open to all students.  The Chorale is an auditioned ensemble of 40-45 singers who perform at the college, in local churches, throughout the Southeast, and on tours abroad once every three years. 

The Shorter Chorale, founded in 1968, is widely regarded as one of the finest university choral ensembles in the southeastern United States.  The 2004-2005 season featured a tour of the great cathedrals and churches of England with performances in Coventry Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral, Christ Church, Oxford and Great St. Mary’s in Cambridge. In 2005, the first broadcast of the Shorter Chorale was heard on National Public Radio.

Previously, the Chorale has toured extensively throughout Europe and Russia, earning resounding critical acclaim. The Chorale has been featured at the Georgia convention of the American Choral Directors Association, Georgia Music Educators In-Service Conferences, as well as the Georgia National Association of Teachers of Singing convention.  This exceptional choir continues its tradition of excellence with many guest appearances throughout the United States.

the Chorale

The Shorter Chorale performs frequently during the year.  In addition to the annual Fall and Spring concerts, the Chorale performs at the Feaste of Caroles and the Northwest Georgia Choral Festival, for various school functions, in churches throughout the southeast, and on a yearly tour. 

Repertoire is based predominantly on classical works of all eras, but also includes spirituals and jazz standards.  Recent major works performed include Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore. K.339,  the Poulenc Gloria, and the Mozart Requiem. 

Click here to see the Shorter Chorale perform.

Enjoy the Shorter Chorale on CD!

Celebrate the Christmas season with the sounds of the Shorter Chorale – and help Chorale members defray the cost of their spring tour to Italy. The CD, A Savior from on High, includes 19 tracks.

“This is the first Shorter Chorale recording to be nationally released,” said Dr. Martha Shaw (’80), who conducts the Chorale. “The recording features the current Chorale and several alumni including Patrick Harvey (’05), Jamie Barton (’04), Lenora Green (’06), Nick Almand (’06) and Joe Knighton (’04).”

“The cost of producing the CDs has already been covered,” Dr. Shaw said, “so every penny from the sales goes to students’ accounts for the Chorale tour.”

The CD features new works that the group has not performed in concert as well as traditional favorites of the Chorale. “It tells the story of the Nativity including selections about Mary, the star, the shepherds, the wise men, and even the flight into Egypt,” Dr. Shaw said. “Also included are holiday favorites such as Sleigh Ride and Jingle Bells.”

The CD was developed by ACA Digital Recording with Fyodor Cherniavsky as producer and Fred Horton as recording engineer.  

***Click here to download an order form. Please send completed forms to:

Nickie Nicholson
Shorter College
Campus Box 163
315 Shorter Avenue
Rome, GA 30165

 
The Shorter Chorus

The Shorter Chorus is a large mixed ensemble that is open to any talented student at Shorter University who enjoys singing. Students are admitted to and placed in the ensemble by a simple voice-test process. The Chorus performs a variety of traditional repertoire in many languages and from all style periods. The Chorus performs twice each semester and joins forces with the Shorter Chorale for special events. The highest standards of choral excellence, performance practice, and professionalism are encouraged and expected. In the 2006–2007 concert season, the Shorter Chorus performed in six languages from all stylistic periods, and performed the World Premiere of a new spiritual by composer Paul Carey (b.1954).

Click here to hear the Shorter Chorus.
Click here to see the Shorter Chorus perform.
Click here for the 2008-2009 Season.

Please contact Elizabeth Robbins at erobbins@shorter.edu for more information about the Shorter Chorus.

 Feaste of Caroles  

The Feaste of Caroles is the annual Christmas concert presented by the Shorter Chorale and Chorus and an invited guest choir.  It is held on the weekend prior to Thanksgiving, due to the academic calendar, but is welcomed by the community as the early bird herald of the season. Selections include classical and traditional songs of the holidays. 

The 2008 Feaste of Caroles will be held on Saturday, December 6 at 7:30 pm at Rome City Auditorium.

Northwest Georgia Choral festival (NWGCF)

Click here for information about this year's Choral Festival, October 26, 2009.

The Northwest Georgia Choral Festival is held on a Monday near the end of October.  It features a High School Festival Choir conducted by the Director of Choral Activities, Dr. Martha Shaw, and a Treble Festival Choir of 4-6th graders conducted by a guest clinician. The 2006 Treble Choir was conducted by Rick McKee.

Last year, Shorter welcomed 350 high school and 150 treble choir singers from across the state for an all-day workshop and concert.  Performances by the Shorter Chorale, Somethin’ Else (the school’s a capella male ensemble), and a guest choir from Woodland High School joined the festival choirs in an evening concert for almost 1000 parents, teachers and guests.