ABOUT THE SALT LAKE CHORAL ARTISTS

About Us

Comprising more than 300 singers in five different ensembles, SLCA is one of America’s premiere community choirs.  The choir focuses on classical, contemporary, and culturally diverse music and enjoys collaborating with other performing groups in the community.  SLCA has been critically acclaimed for its innovative concerts and Summer Choral Institute program, and was named Best of State for best choral ensemble 2012-105.  Its mission is to promote the performance of choral music by educating and inspiring choral singers, conductors, composers, vocal soloists, and accompanists at all levels through performance of a wide range of musical genres.  Since the appointment in 2004 of Dr. Brady Allred as Artistic Director and Conductor, the choir has grown to include a chamber choir, a children’s choir, a professional-level ensemble, and a women’s choir, and introduced both a men’s choir and a youth choir in 2013.  Dr. Allred’s wealth of choral conducting experience, remarkable range of musical talent, and exceptional leadership has brought SLCA to a higher level of artistic excellence and generated new enthusiasm among choir members, serious interest from the media, and the attention of donors who recognize the importance of promoting quality performing arts in the area.

Concert Choir
The Concert Choir is the core of SLCA.  With 150 dedicated singers, this ensemble prepares and performs masterworks and major repertoire from a broad range of styles and time periods.  Always unique and challenging, their season concerts have been lauded by critics as “lustrous and expressive,” and the choir praised for performing at the highest level with “professionalism and passion.” The Concert Choir believes strongly in community outreach and collaboration, and has twice performed with Ballet West for their productions of Carmina Burana.

Chamber Choir
With 50 members drawn from the Concert Choir, this ensemble challenges those who have the ability and desire for additional learning.  Performing more specialized repertoire, the Chamber Choir is featured on season concerts as well as at its own performances, such as appearances in the Assembly Hall at Temple Square.  The group believes in promoting local artists, and released their first CD in 2009, He Loves Me, a recording of sacred music by Utah composer David Naylor.

Women’s Choir
The Women’s Choir is dedicated to singing the broad range of music written for treble voices in all styles. Now over 50 voices strong, these women enjoy performing with the ensembles of SLCA as well as in their own featured concerts. They also collaborate with other women’s choruses in the area. Each year, the Women’s Choir produces “SWING IT,”an exciting evening of singing, dining, and dancing to music of the big band era that is becoming a traditional close to their SLCA concert season.

Salt Lake Vocal Artists
The Salt Lake Vocal Artists was formed in 2010, providing an opportunity for those in the organization who have professional-level capability to rehearse and perform at the highest level.  SLVA’s inaugural season began with a tour of Spain’s Basque region where the group competed in an international competition, earning first prize awards in every category and a special Audience Favorite award.  This recognition led to invitations for 2011, including an appearance as the only United States choir at the World Choral Symposium in Argentina. In September 2011, SLVA traveled to Italy for another competition, where they once again earned five first prizes.  SLVA performs several times each year throughout the Salt Lake Valley and has released four CD recordings.

Young Choral Artists (YoCA)
Now in its sixth year, YoCA is a program of education and performance for children ages 7-15. Ensembles are structured and repertoire chosen to accommodate changing voices, and rehearsals focus on learning musicianship skills and vocal technique, and preparing for performance. Organized into three different ensembles throughout the valley that rehearse on separate days, YoCA gives families a choice to help accommodate different schedules. The group performs with the other ensembles of SLCA as well as at their own concerts, where they often collaborate with other local children’s choirs.

Salt Lake Choral Artists Men’s Choir
In January 2013, the Salt Lake Choral Artists added another choir to their organization to feature and promote men’s choral singing.  At the invitation of the organizers of the internationally acclaimed Choralies festival in Vaison-la-Romaine, France, the SLCA Men’s Choir was featured in concerts throughout the region including a performance at the ancient Roman Theater for an audience of 5,000 choral music lovers! In addition, the members of the choir participated in workshops with notable international conductors in the music of FauréŽ, Martinu, Patriquin, and Orff.

SLCA Youth Honor Choir
In January 2013, the Salt Lake Choral Artists added an Honor Choir especially for talented youth ages 1521. Those who participate have the opportunity to work regularly with Dr. Brady Allred, an internationally acclaimed conductor and educator, sing advanced choral literature in an ensemble of gifted young singers,  perform music by such composers as Morten Lauridsen, Eric Whitacre, Duke Ellington, Andrew Lloyd Webber, W.A. Mozart, and others in solo concerts and in collaboration with the Salt Lake Choral Artists and Salt Lake Vocal Artists, and receive vocal training and musicianship skills that will not only improve individual performance in their own high school choirs but prepare them for future opportunities and auditions.  Applicants are accepted year round.

 

Our Mission

The mission of Salt Lake Choral Artists is to:

  • Perform choral concerts at the highest artistic level that will enlighten minds, lift hearts, and change lives of both performers and audiences
  • Provide opportunities for singers of all interests and skill levels to participate in creating choral music through performance and instruction of singing and conducting
  • Collaborate with other local arts organizations and musicians, both amateur and professional
  • Nurture and continuously improve the musical and vocal skills of SLCA choir members through dedicated study, rehearsal, and performance of a wide variety of literature