Waukesha Choral Union

Happy Labor Day! With many of our area teachers and students heading back to school this week, we want to take a moment to wish you the best of school years!

Drumroll, please!
Presenting Our 2024-25 season…

Tickets for our December concert will be forthcoming shortly!

We’re baacckk! We’ve been a little quiet over the past few months as we’ve been putting together our next season. Stay tuned for an exciting announcement regarding our new season TOMORROW!

We want to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July!
Have a fun and safe day today!

Tonight, we sang the National Anthem for the Lake Country DockHounds- We hope you’re having a great summer!

Happy Memorial Day!

Our Organization celebrates Veterans and Active Duty Members who have sacrificed to protect our country. Thank You for everything that you do.

Wishing all of the Mothers and Mother Figures out there a Happy Mother's Day!

We want to take a moment to celebrate you today and every day!

We’re still glowing from our amazing concert last Friday. It was so great to see everyone there! Tonight we’re capping off an amazing 50th anniversary season by sharing a meal together.

It's TODAY!!!
Our FINAL concert of the 2023-24 season is TODAY!
Join us at the Humphrey Memorial Chapel of Carroll University at 7:30 pm as we present VAST HORIZONS, which also features the Carroll University Chamber Singers.
Here's the address: 238 N East Ave, Waukesha, WI 53186

Buy tickets here: https://choralunion.ticketleap.com/vast-horizons/
(We'll also be selling tickets at the door- plan to arrive a little early if you plan to purchase at the venue!)

See You Tonight!

Our next concert VAST HORIZONS is tomorrow but it’s not hard to reflect on what a wonderful season it has been for the Waukesha Choral Union.

We’ve worked with extraordinary musicians, challenged our own ensemble with exciting and difficult repertoire, and welcomed a new Artistic Director.

We’re grateful for a lot of reasons as we head into our final concert of the season.

Please join us as we explore VAST HORIZONS together tomorrow evening at 7:30 pm.

Get Tickets Here: https://choralunion.ticketleap.com/vast-horizons/

(P.S. Enjoy a Throwback photo to a rehearsal from our December Messiah concert)

We're LESS than 48 hours from our Vast Horizons concert!

Have YOU purchased tickets yet?

Get them here 👉https://choralunion.ticketleap.com/vast-horizons/

(P.S. We'll ALSO be selling tickets at the door so don't fret if you don't get them in advance.)

We're excited to be joined by the Carroll University Chamber Singers for Friday's concert.

They've put together a wonderful set of choral selections that will feature Eric Whitacre's "Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine."

This selection epitomizes our theme for this concert, which includes dreams of the future.

Take a listen now and then join us to hear the piece live on Friday at Humphrey Memorial Chapel at 7:30 pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzMD-boO6Fo

We've been introducing you to a few of the performers at Friday's concert over the past few weeks.

Next up is a familiar face to many of you- Dr. Simone Gheller. Dr. Gheller is our Collaborative Pianist and will be back for this performance!

Simone Gheller was born in Padua, Italy in 1978. He started to play the piano at 5 and the organ at 9. He became a Liturgical Catholic Organist at the age of 9 and Music Director at 13, playing the organ and conducting the choir at his parish. After graduation from high school, he received four Master's Degrees: Piano, Organ Performance & Organ Composition, Music Education, and Choral Music & Choral Conducting. Additionally, he received a Doctorate in Organ and Organ Composition, cm laude. Dr. Gheller also studied at Oberlin College with Professor James David Christie and Olivier Latry, where he finished a prestigious program - the Artist Diploma - a great distinction in music.

He was organist at First Church in Oberlin from 2009 to 2011. From 2011 to 2013, Mr. Gheller was Music Director and Organist at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wilmette, IL. Currently, Dr. Simone Gheller is Music Director and Organist at St. Jerome Catholic Church in Oconomowoc, WI. At this parish he’s leading the music ministry playing all masses, organ concerts and conducting four choirs: adult choir, children’s choir, handbells choir and the school choir. He’s also professor of piano and organ at Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in Milwaukee. He is a member of the American Guild of Organists since 2009.

Dr. Gheller has an extensive performing history spanning the last 30 years, with concerts in prestigious locations in Italy, France, Germany, Austria, and America among others. He has garnered many prizes, including first prize at the National Italian Organ competition “Citta' di Viterbo” in four of the six years between 1995 and 2000, first prize and gold medal from the President of Italian Republic at the Giarda National Organ Competition, first prize at the International Organ Competition Vegezzi Bossi in 2000, first prize, audience prize and two special prizes at the International Organ Competition “Grand Prix Andrè Marchal” in Biarritz (2007). Mr. Gheller has recorded four CDs: Fiori Musicali by Girolamo Frescobaldi , The Complete Choral Works with Organ by Alessandro Scarlatti for the Tactus label, the Orgelbuchlein by J.S. Bach and music by Liszt and Reubke for the Onclassical Label.

Get Your Tickets Here: choralunion.ticketleap.com/vast-horizons/

Our next concert is LESS than a week away! We're singing at Carroll University in the Humphrey Memorial Chapel on Friday, April 27th at 7:30 pm.

Get your tickets today: choralunion.ticketleap.com/vast-horizons/

Our "Vast Horizons" concert next Friday at 7:30 pm will be the first program that new Artistic Director Danielle Bridges has organized with our ensemble.

The concert explores the dreams of our past and present and our hopes for the future. Each selection has been programmed with that idea in mind.

One of the selections we'll be performing is "Set Me as A Seal" by René Clausen. Please enjoy a beautiful recording of this selection by The St. Olaf Choir.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5EbklaRKBU

We can't wait to perform this piece live for you next week at Carroll University in the Humphrey Memorial Chapel!

Get Your Tickets Here: choralunion.ticketleap.com/vast-horizons/

We're so excited about our April 26th concert at Carroll University in the Humphrey Memorial Chapel!

We introduced you to our guest cellist, Jackie Oakes, earlier in the week and now it's time for another introduction!

Meet Dr. Jeremiah Cawley, who directs the Carroll Chamber Singers. The Carroll Chamber Singers will be performing on Vast Horizons, and we can't wait to hear their pieces!

Jeremiah Cawley has led instrumental and vocal ensembles across the US and UK. He sings with the GRAMMY-nominated and EMMY-honored True Concord and is an inaugural member of the new professional vocal ensemble withonevoice. His recorded work includes projects with The Riot Ensemble (London, UK), Solaris Vocal Ensemble (Seattle, WA), and Chamber Cartel (Atlanta, GA).

Jeremiah’s recent published work includes “Understanding Editions: Using CPDL and IMSLP to Develop Early Music Intuition” in The Choral Conductor’s Companion. He has served on the organizing committee for the Oxford Conducting Institute, where he presented his most recent research, “Neurotic, Weak, and Ultramodern: Coded Language in Gestural Criticism.” His dissertation was nominated for ACDA’s prestigious Herford Prize.

Get Your Tickets Today: choralunion.ticketleap.com/vast-horizons/

It may be a rainy evening but our reheasal is full
Of energy tonight!

Join us a week from Friday at Carroll in the Humphrey Memorial Chapel at 7:30 pm!

Our next concert is around the corner on Friday, April 26th at 7:30 pm in the Humphrey Memorial Chapel at Carroll University.

We'll be introducing you to our guest collaborators over the next few days. First up in Jackie Oakes, who will be the cellist for the event!

Meet Jackie:

Originally from the Milwaukee area and residing in Waukesha, Jackie has played the cello her entire life, in addition to piano, flute and organ. With a variety of other instruments under her belt as well. She is a MFY/MYSO alumni, WSMA State Honors Program alumni, and a recipient of the Civic Music Association Musician of the year award.

She attended the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music for both Cello and Piano, as well as studying Music Theory. Mostly recently Jackie completed tenure as principal cellist of the Menomonee Falls Symphony (formerly Milwaukee Catholic Symphony) for 27 years, and appeared as a featured soloist with this group. She has also performed with the Concord Chamber Orchestra and UWM Symphony Orchestra.

Currently Jackie is performing with Dream City Strings and Innocenti Strings as a chamber player in small ensembles for weddings and corporate events in the Milwaukee and Chicago areas. She is the Executive Director of Music for Our Savior’s Lutheran ELCA Church in Hartland, serving as Handbell and Choir Director, as well as vocalist, pianist and organist. Also, performing with the in-house Praise Band. She has previously held Music Directorships for the United Church of Christ in the Milwaukee area. Piano accompanying for the Wisconsin School Music Association is a long-time passion, and also freelancing both on cello and piano.

In addition to teaching cello, piano and voice privately, Jackie enjoys golfing and riding her horse in shows. She is a mother of 7 with her husband, Richard, and a grandmother of 11!

Purchased Your Tickets Here: https://choralunion.ticketleap.com/vast-horizons/dates/Apr-26-2024_at_0730PM

Just a Sunday reminder to purchase your tickets for our April 6th concert at 7:30 pm at Carroll University!

We can't wait to see you there.

Purchase Tickets Here: https://choralunion.ticketleap.com/vast-horizons/dates/Apr-26-2024_at_0730PM

Just a few of the many reasons we love choir!

We had a wonderful time of music-making and connecting with one another at our retreat this past weekend!

This event gave us some valuable time to refine selections for our upcoming Vast Horizons concert.

We hope that you will join us for our final concert on Friday, April 26th at 7:30 pm.

Purchase your tickets here: https://choralunion.ticketleap.com/vast-horizons

📸: Danielle Bridges