About us

The Chautauqua Youth Chorus, first established as the Chautauqua Children’s Chorale, was formed in 1988 by Nancy A. Krestic and Dr. Donald P. Lang. It was formed with the mission to promote excellence in singing and musical growth and give a different dimension to the choral experience for youth.

 

The CYC is made up of three choirs of youth ages 8 to 18: Junior Chorus, Senior Chorus and Men’s Chorus. There are approximately 60 singers in CYC. All choirs perform a wide variety of music, including sacred, classical, secular choral music, and contemporary music.

 

The Chautauqua Youth Chorus is an Ensemble in Residence at Fredonia State University of New York School of Music and is a member of Chorus America. Auditions are required for membership.

 

Senior Chorus

This traditional Youth Chorus is made up of boys and girls with unchanged voices in grades 6-12 and emphasizes building a strong and diverse concert repertoire. The Senior Chorus develops melodic and harmonic recognition that is required for good musicianship. The concepts of proper choral technique continue to be developed. The Senior Choir performs throughout the season on a regular basis and for a variety of audiences.

 

Junior Chorus

Junior Chorus is our introductory training choir where children are introduced to healthy singing and music literacy through weekly rehearsals. The singers learn the fundamental elements of vocal technique, such as posture, breathing, vowel placement, good singing tone, tonal memory, pitch relationship, simple rhythm patterns, and part-singing. Choristers are introduced to music of all genres and gain performance experience. 

 

Men’s Chorus

New this year is the addition of the CYC Men's Chorus. This group for young men with changed or changing voices sings a diverse repertoire including Barbershop Quartets, Art Songs, Doo Wop, and Pop tunes by famous artists like The Plain White T's, Billy Joel, and FUN. This group’s small size allows for alternative performance opportunities like community service concerts at local nursing homes, workshops at Fredonia State University of New York, and small touring concerts to local churches. The CYC Men's Chorus continues rolling admissions through January. Contact us to set up an audition!