July 31, 2019 — If you would like to audition for the CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Choir and perform in the winter concert, now’s the time to contact Artistic Director KuanFen Liu.
Liu, who holds a doctorate in Musical Arts, is holding auditions for the choir from Aug. 5 through 9 and is looking for about 60 singers from the campus and the community. The CSUCI Choir has a long tradition of including singers from CSUCI and from the community.
Community members are invited to schedule an audition by emailing Liu at downbeatplus@gmail.com. CSUCI students, staff and faculty should enroll in Performing Arts Music (PAMU) 307 – University Chorus for the fall semester as rehearsals will begin soon.
This semester’s winter concert is called “A Light in the Darkness: Voices of Hope, Peace Love and Comfort.
Liu chose this theme, which will include both sacred and secular music, to uplift us and remind us of our common humanity during a season of peace.
“The earth is in a lot of pain,” Liu said. “We are fighting many wars in this world. All wars blind and blur people to the harm that they are doing to others. Music has the ability to connect us. No matter our race, religion or country, music can bring us out of darkness and into the light. I’ve been singing my entire life, so for me, singing brings joy and through music, I find peace.”
As we approached the holiday season last year, Ventura County pulled together when tragedy struck close to home, and the CSUCI Choir took the stage in hopes of providing some comfort and unity.
“Last fall, our county was the site of a tragic mass shooting, followed mere hours later by destructive wildfires,” Liu said. “We at the CSU Channel Islands University Chorus believe that we were able to provide some beauty in what was literally ashes, through the gift of music.”
The selections Liu chose include compositions written by composers from the Baroque period to more contemporary pieces that explore various cultural traditions and languages.
Included are traditional carols such as “In Dulci Jubilo” by J.S. Bach and “Kyrie and Gloria (from the Coronation Mass” by W.A. Mozart. More contemporary pieces include Los Angeles composer Frank Ticheli’s powerful acapella “Earth Song” as well as Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo’s “The Rose.”
All singers 18 years and older are welcome to audition. All vocal ranges are welcome, but Liu said there is a special need for tenors and basses. Rehearsals are Mondays from 6 to 8:50 p.m. beginning Aug. 26.
“We will rehearse and perform these musical pieces through the lens of human history and show the strength of human resiliency through difficult times,” Liu said.