Are you looking for repertoire on themes of social consciousness for your next concert? Check out our crowd-sourced database at www.chorosynthesis.org/esvdatabase!
Re-Imagining Relevance through New Music and Social Conscience
Northwest American Choral Directors Association Conference
Portland, OR
March 8, 2018
Thank you to everyone who came to our session at the NW ACDA Conference, Re-Imagining Relevance Through New Music and Social Consciousness. If you didn't receive a handout, you can download it here.
Chorosynthesis visits Santa Monica College!
Semi-Finalist in The American Prize in Choral Performance
For the 2nd year in a row, Chorosynthesis Singers has been selected as a semi-finalist in the The American Prize in Choral Performance—professional division! Thank you to our stellar singers who helped us achieve this honor!

2017: Year in Review!
We at Chorosynthesis are grateful for your support throughout this past year. Due to wonderful supporters like you, 2017 was a monumental year for our organization. We would like to take the next 5 minutes of your life to share all that happened, thanks to you! Chorosynthesis Singers embarked on a tour of Washington State with our Empowering Silenced Voices 2.0 program which included a high school exchange, a residency with Mid-Columbia Mastersingers, and the Symposium on New Choral Music and Social Consciousness. During this tour, we premiered 16 works addressing many relevant topics of issues of social consciousness such as child advocacy, women’s rights, human rights, displacement, the environment, technology, and perspectives on terrorism and war. In times such as these, this music is giving hope when hope is sometimes hard to see. Additionally. . .
Chorosynthesis Singers was named the 2nd place winner of The American Prize in Choral Performance (professional division) in a category of Grammy-nominated ensembles.
Our conductors were the 1st and 3rd place winners of The American Prize in Choral Conducting (professional division).
Chorosynthesis Singers was featured in the Choral Journal’s issue on Diversity in the Choral Arts.
Wendy and Jeremiah were interviewed by Chorus America (CA) for their entrepreneurial work with Chorosynthesis Singers in honor of CA’s 40 Anniversary.
Chorosynthesis Singers completed their first studio recording to be released onto 2 CDs by Centaur Records. Pre-order here.
NW Conference Session: Re-Imagining Relevance through New Music & Social Consciousness
March 8, 2018, 8 am - 9 am
Hilton Pavilion West Ballroom, Portland, OR
NW ACDA Conference Session
To register for conference: http://www.nwacda.org/divisional.html
Discussants: Jeremiah Selvey, Wendy Moy, Justin Raffa, Reg Unterseher
The purpose of this panel discussion is to provide thoughtfulness on the importance of new music and social advocacy as we reconceive the impact of the choral art in our various communities. The panelists will speak from the depth and breadth of their own experiences, as well as broader trends in the field, to provide practical ways to revitalize our choral communities by way of supporting the diversity of our humanity. This panel discussion will explore how we can integrate social consciousness and new music into our choral settings as a means of making the choral art more immediately relevant to our singers, communities, and audiences. The framework for this conversation will be Equity, Diversity, Compassion, and Transformation. Some of the topic areas will include the following:
1. The role of art, especially choral music, to alerting social consciousness and advocacy...
a. How composers use art to evoke social awareness and to connect to communities beyond their own.
b. How singers and audiences are finding deeper connections to the art and to each other by way of the shared passion for particularly socially conscious topics.
c. How choirs are connecting and collaborating with community organizations and social causes.
2. Programming socially conscious music…
a. Importance of performing new works in addition to the canon.
b. Resources available for finding high-quality socially conscious repertoire appropriate to our ensembles, as well as composers who are empathetic to social consciousness.
c. How groups are re-purposing works from the canon in ways that draw attention to social consciousness.
d. Using programming to draw attention to socially conscious issues.
3. Potential fears or barriers to becoming an advocate for social consciousness…
a. Balancing the potentially polarizing views on social issues in your ensemble and community.
b. Becoming a caretaker for the potential psychological barriers to performing socially conscious music.

Chorosynthesis Singers Featured in Choral Journal!
Chorosynthesis Singers was one of 13 choirs featured in the article, An American Choral Tapestry, part of the Choral Journal's Focus on Diversity Initiatives. Read how we are using new music to champion issues of social consciousness/justice. https://acda.org/files/choral_journals/Broeker-HarrisNov17.pdf

Singer Openings!
We are looking for singers for a Holiday Fundraiser, at which we will be premiering 3 new choral works that are holiday themed and have a socially conscious leaning. To apply go to www.chorosynthesis.org/chorosynthesis-seattle-auditions.
Interview with Chorus America: 40 Years of Entrepreneurial Spirit
Co-founders Jeremiah Selvey and Wendy Moy were among four honored to represent a "New Generation of Choral Entrepreneurs" in an interview with Chorus America for their article, "40 Years of Entrepreneurial Spirit." Congratulations to Chorus America on their anniversary! You can read the article at https://www.chorusamerica.org/publications/summer-2017-volume-40-4-0
WINNERS of The American Prize in Conducting
Did you know that our Co-Artistic Directors, Jeremiah Selvey and Wendy Moy, were the first and third place winners of The American Prize in Conducting, Professional Choir Division for their work with Chorosynthesis Singers?!?
We are so proud of them!
2nd place Winner of The American Prize for Choral Performance, Professional Division
Chorosynthesis was named the 2nd place Winner of The American Prize for Choral Performance, Professional Division based on our live recordings of our inaugural concert as a professional ensemble. To check out our award-winning performances go to https://soundcloud.com/chorosynthesis/sets/american-prize-portfolio

Kickstarter for ESV 2 →
Thanks to all of our supporters, we have embarked on a project that continues our work from the last couple of years. This time we decided to do a Washington State Tour and recording of a double CD for international distribution.
We really are spreading the love, thanks to people who have decided to support the cause. We need to raise $5,000 by Jan 2. Will you help us to accomplish that goal by sharing our Kickstarter campaign and by considering giving yourself? Help us get this amazing music out to the world!
Holiday Call for Scores
Chorosynthesis Singers, a professional choir, is seeking new scores of high-quality holiday music. Open November 1 through January 15! Help us get the word out. www.chorosynthesis.org/holiday-call-for-scores
Seattle Hospitality
During “Empowering Silenced Voices,” our out-of-town singers truly felt blessed to have a “home away from home,” where they could rest in preparation for a week of intense music-making. We are doing it again—another project of music with a cause, and we could use your help with some Seattle Hospitality.
Chorosynthesis Singers comprises professional singers from all over the country. During the Seattle portion of our next project (Empowering Silenced Voices 2.0), we are seeking potential hosts for these out-of-town guests. Did you know that by providing singers with a comfortable stay in Seattle it enables them to do a really good job in their performances with us? By helping them, you help us...GREATLY! So thank you for taking this into consideration...
If you can't host a singer in your home, perhaps you could volunteer to provide meals for our singers? We are looking for a sponsor for Saturday night's post-concert reception and Sunday and Monday's dinners (during our recording session). If you are interested or know someone who connects with music and social justice and might be able to help out, please let us know.
If you can host a singer in your home, here's what we hope for from volunteers to host these singers...
- Time Frame: Saturday, January 14 (afternoon) through Tuesday, January 17
- Location: Preferably close enough for singers to use public transportation to get to/from rehearsals and performances without exorbitant travel times. Rehearsals are at Seattle Pacific University. (Don't let this keep you from volunteering, as we may be able to work something out.)
- Overall Goal: Keep our singers well rested and able to stay focused (without too much stress) on their work with Chorosynthesis Singers.
- Expectation: Basic room and board (including specified meals, if possible), assisting with transportation (as able and willing), separate beds for each singer, laundry options, WiFi, access to full bathroom, and accommodations for allergies (food, pet). If you have access to a piano or keyboard, even better; or maybe you won't mind them practicing a little at home (if appropriate).
- More specifically, we ask the following:
- Hosts will arrange for water, coffee/tea, and other light snacks for non-meal times.
- Host will provide breakfast every morning Sunday through Tuesday.
- Host will provide dinner (or food that the singer can self-prepare) on Saturday (late afternoon) with time to arrive at the venue by the call time.
- It would be appreciated if hosts would provide lunch (or lunch food that singer can self-prepare) on Sunday and Monday.
- It would be appreciated if hosts could arrange to assist singers with transportation (including car rides or a drop-off at a light rail station or key bus stop).
- Hosts should disclose any pets or possible exposure to food allergies.
- Hosts should provide separate beds for each performer, even if 2 performers are sharing a room.
If any of these points pose a challenge for you, but you are interested in helping out, PLEASE talk to us. We might be able to work something out.
Please contact us at chorosynthesis@gmail.com with the subject line Seattle Hospitality to get the conversation started. Thank you!
4th New Choral Music Reading Session
It is the middle of summer, and the sun is shining brightly, soon to set in the topographically stunning city of Seattle. Meanwhile, in the darkness of night, a South American composer goes to the bar because his Internet connection at home stopped working. While in the bar, he begins to Skype with Seattle singers, educators, and conductors who make up an ad hoc reading choir at the New Choral Music Reading Session that Chorosynthesis is hosting. This event is the third reading session of Chorosynthesis, and this time, we get to see some of the interesting personalities and lives of our composers.
Not only have the members of this ad hoc choir been able to experience the amazing compositions that are unpublished and on topics of social justice, but they also get to know more about the backgrounds of the pieces through conversations with the composers. They also get to discuss frankly and openly their perspectives of experiencing the work for the first time as a singer. This reading session is definitely not your typical reading session.
As they walk out the door, they take their music packets full of scores, including the contact information of the composers they were able to meet. Some of them will be in touch with these living composers, and they just might find the treasure that they seek for their own performing contexts as they get to know any number of these composers.
*****
On October 2, 2016, Chorosynthesis will host its 4th New Choral Music Reading Session, sponsored in part by the University of Washington School of Music. We invite all stakeholders to join us:
- Educators
- Composers
- Professional Solo/Chamber Singers
- Conductors & Singers of MANY types of choirs:
- Professional
- Church
- Community
- Academic (secondary, college)
Learn about our past and future calls for scores, meet composers, sing through new music on themes of social justice, and take a packet home with you. FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
To register and secure your free packet, fill out the form here: www.chorosynthesis.org/reading-session-sign-up.
Recording Contract with Centaur Records
We are excited to announce that based on the live recordings of our March 2016 concert, we have secured a contract to record a double CD of new music on social consciousness! We will be presented by international classical label, Centaur Records.

Diversifying Voice Training in Colleges & Universities?
The performance field of singing has diversified. This diversification indicates to universities and conservatories that we might want to consider the way we are training singers. Training to perform opera and/or musical theater roles is indeed a good path for some singers, but we are at a crossroads where specialization in oratorio or chamber music is also possible. A career as an independent, entrepreneurial singer is now possible for more people, especially if we give them the administrative and marketing skills necessary to achieve their goals and dreams in today's market. Who's with us in helping shape the future education of today's singers?
New Choral Music Reading Session to be held July 19, 2016 in Seattle
SUMMER Reading Session 2016
REGISTRATION by July 15
guarantees you the availability of music packet!
Tuesday, July 19, 2015
6:30-9:30 pm
Seattle Pacific University
Crawford Music Bldg
Room 211
(free parking in lot next to building)
Attendance is free.
3 clock hours available for $15
Suggestion Donation $10 for Music Packet (waived for Kodaly Level Participants) - Check or Cash
New Tracks from Empowering Silenced Voices
Following our successful Empowering Silenced Voices concert on March 19, we have released select tracks on Soundcloud. Check them out!
Previews of our Empowering Silenced Voices Concert
Click on the following link to watch previews of our upcoming "Empowering Silenced Voices" Concert on March 19, 7:30 pm at the Good Shepherd Chapel in Seattle.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnqoMxzvjkPQf_G4DqzxHuNbz6QcRRnvY