Kent State Choirs

The Kent State Chorale is the flagship choral ensemble at KSU made up of singers from all majors.

The Kent State Chorale works to perfect choral literature spanning Renaissance music to cutting-edge works by many of today’s dynamic composers.

Performances

The Chorale performs frequently on campus including fall and spring concerts, joint concerts of masterworks with the KSU Orchestra, as well as the annual Holiday Choral Collage.  

Tours

The Chorale tours each spring semester, both for recruitment outreach and concertizing, in ever-expanding areas and venues. In addition to traveling throughout the state of Ohio, recent tours have included New York City, Washington D.C. and Chicago.  

Rehearsal

Monday through Thursday, 3:20-4:20 p.m.

Questions?

Contact
Bret Peppo, Interim Director of Choral Activities
bpeppo1@kent.edu.

The Kent Chorus consists of approximately 100 singers, making it one of the largest choirs on campus.

Performances

The Kent Chorus performs two concerts per year and regularly collaborates with the KSU Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, as well as other professional orchestras in northeast Ohio.

Rehearsals

• Kent Chorus rehearses Tuesday evenings from 7:15 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. 
• The first rehearsal is on the first Tuesday of the fall and spring semesters.

Membership

• No audition is necessary to join!
• Membership is open to the broader NE Ohio community and all Kent State University students, faculty, and staff who have previous choral experience.
• Anyone interested in joining is invited to attend the first rehearsal of each semester for a brief voice placement.

Academic Credit Participants

• Want to take this for academic credit? Register for course number MUS 45121 (Undergraduates) or MUS 55121 (Graduate Students). 
• Current Kent State students enrolled in classes must register for the class to participate. 

Non-credit Participants

• Let us know you're interested!
• Join us during one of the first three rehearsals of the semester. We'll let you know when and where the first rehearsal will be!
• You will also be asked to sign the Kent State Volunteer Assignment Form and Release. 

Questions?

Contact
Bret Peppo, Interim Director of Choral Activities
bpeppo1@kent.edu

Cantique (formerly Women's Chorus) achieves a high standard of excellence in the treble repertoire.

Cantique welcomes all those who love to sing and enjoy the camaraderie that performing great music brings to its members. Music is selected from a variety of periods and musical styles. 

CONCERTS

The choir performs regularly on and off-campus and collaborates with other KSU ensembles.

Rehearsals

Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 1:10 to 2 p.m.

MEMBERSHIP

• Open to undergraduate and graduate students from across Kent State University.
• New members are accepted every semester through a simple voice placement audition. 

Questions?

Contact
Shawna Hinckle,
sweisger@kent.edu

Coro Cantare's (formerly Men's Chorus) explores many musical styles with special emphasis on the standards of tenor/bass choir literature. 

Coro Cantare welcomes students from across Kent State University who enjoy working together to perform the great body of tenor/bass choir repertoire, encompassing a wide range of styles spanning Renaissance to contemporary works. 

CONCERTS

The choir performs regularly on and off-campus, tours and frequently collaborates with other KSU ensembles.

Membership

• Open to all graduate and undergraduate students of Kent State.
• New members are accepted every semester through a simple voice placement audition.

Rehearsal

The choir meets Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1:10 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Questions?

Contact
Bret Peppo, Interim Director of Choral Activities
bpeppo1@kent.edu

The Kent State Nova Jazz Singers fuses the choral tradition with the power and innovation of jazz.

The Nova Jazz Singers was founded in 2012 by Dr. Christopher J. Venesile, now-retired Associate Professor of Choral Music Education, to bring the disciplines of advanced choral singing and the language of jazz together. As both a popular, contemporary music and a recognized world classical music, jazz reflects America's social and musical history.  In the 21st century, jazz has become a historical music as well as a continually evolving art, absorbing current style to keep the music spontaneous and fresh.

The ensemble performs annually at premier jazz clubs in Northeast Ohio, New York City jazz clubs, the Elmhurst Jazz Festival in Chicago, IL, and in 2020 will be featured at the Ohio Music Education Association State Professional Conference."

Who are the Nova Jazz singers and what will you learn?

• The Nova Jazz Singers provides our Kent State University students opportunities to study jazz and choral music in a compelling art form.
• Our members are undergraduate and graduate students from majors across the university.
• Rehearsals are held three times a week in the late afternoon in the Center for the Performing Arts.
• Members learn techniques in solo and ensemble jazz arrangements of songs from the Great American Songbook and beyond. 
• Jazz history, theory, and improvisation are also learned as well as self-accompaniment on piano. 

Joining Nova Jazz Singers

• Membership is open to all undergraduate and graduate Kent State students.

Questions?

Contact
Sam Al-Hadid
salhadid@kent.edu

The Kent State Gospel Choir is a diverse and welcoming ensemble for people of all backgrounds and beliefs. 

Members of the group represent different ages, ethnicities, races, majors, sexual orientations and religious beliefs, making the Kent State University Gospel Choir one of the most diverse organizations and/or ensembles on campus. The choir was founded in 1996 by KSU emerita faculty member Dr. Linda B. Angotti.

Watch Gospel Choir

Performances

The Kent State University Gospel Choir enjoys an excellent local, regional, national and international reputation. The choir has performed in Europe and the Bahamas, was invited to perform for two Kent State University presidential inaugurations (2007, 2015) and performs regularly for diverse campus-wide events. The choir performs at various conferences, festivals and churches across the country.

Joining the Choir

• No formal audition is required! Join through a simple voice placement by coming to the first rehearsal of the semester.
• Open to Kent State University students, faculty, staff and alumni as well as members of the greater NE Ohio community.

Academic Credit Participants

• Want to take this for academic credit? Register for MUS 45151 (Undergraduates) or MUS 55151 (Graduate Students).
• Current Kent State students enrolled in classes must register for the class to participate. 

Non-academic Credit Participants

• Let us know you're interested!
• We'll let you know when and where the first rehearsal will be. 
• You will also be asked to sign the Kent State Volunteer Assignment Form and Release. 

Rehearsals

• The first rehearsal is the first Monday of the fall and spring semesters.
• Every Monday, 5:30 p.m. -7:30 p.m. during the academic year. 

Questions?

Contact
Rodney Hubbard, Director
330-672-2172 | rhubbar6@kent.edu

One Placement Audition for:

• Kent Chorale 
• Cantique 
• Coro Cantare 

What's the audition like?

• Vocalizing to assess tone quality and range
• Aural skills exercises such as pitch matching and melodic memory
• Rhythm reading
• Sight-reading
• No need to bring a prepared song!

Audition Dates

• Audition dates will be posted as they become available. 

Auditions will be held in room E-111, Center for Performing Arts

Audition Sign-up

Audition sign up will be posted when it becomes available. 

Audition Dates

Audition dates will be posted as they become available. 

Audition Sign-up

Audition sign-ups will be posted as they become available. 

What's the Audition Like?

1. Warm-ups to assess your vocal range.
2. Pitch matching exercises.
3. Sight-singing exercises.
4. A prepared solo of your choice (either a capella or accompanied), preferably a jazz standard. 
5. A musical excerpt that should be picked up 24 hours prior to the scheduled audition time.
   • You should learn the voice part they believe best suits your voice
   • Sheet music may be used during the audition. 
   • You will receive instructions after you sign up for your audition.

Audition Dates

• Audition dates will be posted as they become available. 
• Auditions will be held in room E-111, Center for Performing Arts

Audition Sign-up

Audition sign-ups will be posted as they become available. 

Preparation

• Don’t stop singing over the summer, keep using your voice!
• Do the vocal exercises you’ve done with previous choirs.
• Practice pitch matching. Play three notes and match each.
• Play a four-note melody and sing it back.
• Practice sight-reading and rhythm skills.
• A little bit of practice will go a long way!

Audition Day

• WARM UP! It is important that your voice is warmed up before you audition.
• Plan to arrive at least 10 minutes early to fill out an audition form.
• If you need to change your audition, please remove your reserved time on the online form and then set a new time.
• Placement audition results for Kent Chorale, Cantique and Coro Cantare will be emailed to you by  5 p.m. on the Monday after auditions. 

REGISTRATION 

• Leave room in your schedule for the choir of your choice.
• Please register after the placement results are announced. Information will be provided.