Lift Every Voice

Cantate Announces Auditions for Lift Every Voice’s 2024-2025 Season

In-person auditions will take place Monday, August 26, from 7:00 – 10:00 pm at Bethesda Presbyterian Church; Online applications are open until 11:59 pm on August 26.

Lift Every Voice (LEV) is a year-long paid fellowship for aspiring BIPOC classical singers, which provides vital training, networking, and performance opportunities to advance their careers in choral music and solo oratorio performance. Four pre-professional vocalists, selected by audition, will join Cantate Concert Choir to provide skilled support to each of the sections while also receiving additional opportunities for advancement.

In the 2024-2025 concert year, fellows will

• Participate as paid choristers in three performances with Cantate Concert Choir.
• Receive resume and biography coaching from Cantate’s professional network.
• Coach solo oratorio repertoire with Cantate’s artistic director as well as up to two collaborating choral or orchestral conductors.
• Attend soloist, orchestra, and dress rehearsals, as well as oratorio performances of collaborating organizations.
• Participate in two masterclasses with leading local experts on varied oratorio repertoire.
• Perform solo and small ensemble repertoire with orchestra at a LEV showcase incorporated into a Cantate season concert. The performance will be professionally recorded for the singers’ personal use, and leading area choral and orchestral conductors will be invited.

Fellows emerge from their residency with Cantate better prepared for careers in the choral/oratorio field, and with a network of supporters and advocates to enable their success. Fellows are compensated competitively for rehearsals and performances and provided a travel stipend. Resume and biography consultation, vocal coaching, rehearsal and concert access, and masterclasses are provided to LEV fellows free of charge.

LEV Scholars will be expected to attend Sunday evening rehearsals at First Baptist Church of Silver Spring from 7:00-9:30 pm throughout the Concert Season, from Sept 8 through May 17. Specific rehearsal dates for the November 23 performance of the Verdi Requiem in collaboration with National Philharmonic at Strathmore include Sept 8, 15, 22 and 29; Oct 6 and 20; Nov 3, and 10; and required concert week rehearsals Sunday, November 17, 7-9:30PM (Silver Spring), Thursday, Nov 21, 7-10 (Strathmore), and Saturday, Nov 23, 2-4:30PM (Strathmore). Rehearsal details for Cantate Concert Choir performances on March 9 and May 17 will be shared when dates are confirmed. Fellows will be compensated at a rate of $75 per rehearsal, $125 per choral performance, and $500 per solo performance. Each fellow will also receive a $75 travel stipend each semester to help relieve the cost of transportation.

Eligible applicants are self-identifying BIPOC vocational classical singers under the age of 30, without professional representation. Live auditions will be held on Monday, August 26, 2024, from 7:00 – 10:00 pm at Bethesda Presbyterian Church. An accompanist will be provided at no cost. Alternatively, applicants are welcome to submit video or audio recordings of contrasting style for equal consideration. Please prepare to perform or submit two contrasting pieces of solo repertoire, one in English and one in another language. We ask that at least one of these two pieces be an aria from opera or oratorio. Oratorio selections do not need to be memorized. The deadline for online submissions is 11:59 p.m. on Monday, August 26, 2024.

Additional questions about the program may be addressed to Cara Schaefer, Cantate’s Executive Director at exec@cantate.org.

About LEV 2024:

Bethesda, MD, December 28, 2023 – Cantate proudly announces its Spring 2024 Lift Every Voice Cohort: Simone Brown, soprano; Chuanyuan Liu, countertenor; Opal Clyburn-Miller, tenor; and Louis Cleare, bass-baritone. These extraordinary young singers will join Cantate Concert Choir to provide skilled support to each of the sections while receiving professional-level training and first-hand experience in the performance of varied choral repertoire. In the program’s pilot semester (Spring 2024) each of these fellows will receive additional support and opportunities from Cantate’s community of seasoned arts professionals: resume consulting, vocal coaching, and an oratorio masterclass open to the public. Fellows will emerge from their residency with Cantate better prepared to advance their musical careers in the choral field.

LEV is the evolution of Cantate’s Young Artist of Color (CYAC) residency. Launched in 2021 the CYAC – now LEV – aims to address the widespread racial inequity in the field of classical music by providing mentoring and performance opportunities to exceptional young BIPOC artists. In the program’s first season, Cantate featured baritone Anthony Anderson, who returned to perform with Cantate as a soloist on Magnificat this past December. Composer Ronald “Trey” Walton has recently completed his residency with a recital of his works in October 2023. Each extraordinary young artist worked with advisors throughout the Cantate programming year to refine his craft and prepare to present his polished works.

Applications to the spring pilot of LEV were open to pre-professional singers – those pursuing a career in music but not yet subsisting on income provided by performing or teaching in the field. Vocational singers aged 30 and under without professional representation were considered. Live auditions were held in November, with an accompanist provided at no cost to applicants, who were also welcome to submit video or audio recordings of contrasting style for equal consideration. One choral scholar was selected for each voice type: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. The inaugural cohort of LEV fellows will perform on Cantate’s April Peace and Light concert. Fellows are compensated for rehearsals and performances and provided a travel stipend. Resume consultation, vocal coaching as appropriate, and masterclass participation are provided to LEV fellows free of charge.

Additional questions about the program may be addressed to Cara Schaefer, Cantate’s Executive Director, at exec@cantate.org.