Wells School of Music

Concert Choir

The WCU Concert Choir is a select thirty-two voice choir chosen by competitive audition from among the nearly 500 music students in the Wells School of Music. Primarily composed of upper-level voice majors and graduate students, the Concert Choir strives to sing music from the past five centuries in historically accurate, musically detailed, and dynamic performances. The choir regularly performs off campus and past excursions have sent them to California, Florida, the Desert Southwest, throughout the Northeast, and to Europe. Recent performance highlights include John Paine's Mass in D, David Conte's American Triptych, and Bach’s St. John Passion. Their repertoire also includes staged performances of contemporary choral works by Jacob Avshalomov, Hugo Distler, Gian Carlo Menotti, and Leonard Bernstein. Committed to performing new music, the Concert Choir has premiered or sung new and recent works by Jennifer Higdon, David Conte, Robert Maggio, Kurt Erickson, and WCU student and faculty composers.

The Sea Hath Its Pearls: Romantic American Choral Music," ACDA interest session by Dr. DeVenney and the WCU Concert Choir

Mastersingers

Mastersingers is an auditioned mixed voice choir that performs choral works by the great composers over the centuries, from Renaissance to modern spirituals and unaccompanied chamber pieces to large works with orchestra. In recent years, they have performed by invitation at the NJMEA, MdMEA, and PMEA conferences. Each year, they perform in the university’s annual holiday concert in the fall semester and with Concert Choir and the WCU Symphony Orchestra in their spring semester choral-orchestral concert. 

Oriana Chorale

Oriana Chorale is a select, auditioned, chamber choir for vocally advanced treble singers. While the group is primarily comprised of voice majors, the ensemble is open to students from any program in the university. They sing music for treble voices from all eras and genres. Oriana Chorale has been honored by being chosen to perform for two professional music conferences in 2015 and 2016.

Orpheus Singers

The Orpheus Singers specialize in singing the rich trove of music for tenor and bass voices. The ensemble is comprised largely of music majors not majoring in voice, along with talented non-music majors. The repertory for the choir is especially broad, ranging from contemporary music to selections from the classical repertory, as well as spirituals, folk songs, and musics from around the world.

Allegro Voices

The Allegro Voices is a treble choir whose singers hail from within the Wells School of Music and around the University. Many members are students from the University, majoring in subjects outside music, but who love to sing and have participated in ensembles before enrolling at West Chester.

Vocal Jazz

The Vocal Jazz Ensemble is a small ensemble who performs vocal jazz, often one on a part. The highly select group of singers is chosen not only for their musical skills, but for their ability to sing close harmony and to blend. Most are given solo opportunities in the group, which is accompanied by a jazz trio.

• Ensemble Director: Ryan Kelly
• Number of Members: 8-10
• Audition Requirements: Students must audition through the regular choral auditions, held each Fall during the first two days of classes.

Recital Choir

Recital Choir is an ensemble of sixteen, including both undergraduates and the master's degree students in choral conducting. The purpose of the choir is to provide a laboratory choir for the graduate conducting students. The choir performs two public performances a year, led by one of the graduate conductors.

• Ensemble Directors: David DeVenney
• Number of Members: 16
• Number of Concerts: 2 per year

Chamber Choir

Chamber Choir sings repertoire composed for small ensembles, particularly early music, but also including Romantic and later works.

• Ensemble Director: Ryan Kelly
• Number of Members: 8-12
• Audition Requirements: Students must audition through the regular choral auditions, held each Fall during the first two days of classes.