Rehearsals  for Messiah begin Sunday, September 14, 2014

Rehearsals for the choral society will begin on Sunday, September 14, 2013 at the First Church Congregational from 4:00 – 6:30 pm. Registration begins at 3:15 pm on September 14. Performances are scheduled for December 13 and 14.

Registration is open until Sunday, September 28.

All registered members, new and returning, will have the opportunity to audition to be the vocal soloist, one for each voice part, on September 21 with call backs on September 28. All interested singers will need to have paid their dues to be considered and if not chosen they will sing with the chorus. Interested singers are to  prepare 16-20 bars of your aria of choice from Handel’s Messiah in your chosen voice part that best showcases your range and abilities. Please indicate on your registration form, online or mailed, your intention to audition so we will know how best to set up the audition schedule.

New members are welcomed in September and January, at the beginning of each concert cycle. Rehearsals are Sunday afternoons from 4:00 – 6:30 P.M. in the chapel at First Church Congregational, South Main St., Rochester, NH. There is no audition. Knowledge of how to read music is not a requirement, but may be helpful. For more information about joining the chorus, please email Donna at gschoral@gmail.com, or call 207-457-1576.

Celebrating Our 40th Anniversary Season

We look forward to beginning our 40th Anniversary Season of  sharing music with our local communities and beyond. Rehearsals will begin on Sunday, September 14, 2014 and concerts will be December 13 and 14 at the First United Methodist Church in Rochester, NH at 34 S. Main Street.

40 years ago Granite State Choral Society, then known as the Rochester Community Chorus, presented its first concert of Handel’s Messiah under the direction of Syliva Dowst and it was the culmination of a desire by Reverend Frank Gulinello to again see and hear a community chorus in Rochester. The last time a known choral society was registered in the Lilac City was the Rochester Oratorio Society of which little is known except its last performance in 1907 of The Creation nearly 70 years previous.

In the 4 decades since that rebirth, we continue to enjoy performing in collaborations with fantastic instrumentalists and other choral groups from the Seacoast area  to showcase this timeless music. We look forward to seeing you again as we perform another wonderful program, filled with challenging, beautiful music – guaranteed to be fun for singers and audiences alike.