Girl Choir Program

The Lawrence Academy of Music Girl Choir program seeks to provide quality choral opportunities for girls in the Fox Valley region. Through the study and performance of the highest quality music, the girls develop vocal technique, music reading skills, creativity, expressive artistry, and an awareness of various cultures. The Girl Choir program strives to create an atmosphere that encourages girls to respect the uniqueness of others, to take risks that foster individual growth, and to continue their development into self-assured young women.

The Girl Choir program includes five auditioned choirs and Ragazze, a new non-auditioned training choir. Currently there are over 330 girls ranging in age from 8-18 singing in the choirs. They represent over 50 schools from throughout Northeastern Wisconsin.

Membership in all choirs other than Ragazze is determined by auditions held each spring for the following year. Please see individual choirs for audition dates. Fill out an application on-line, or call the Academy at 832-7038 to request an application form. Please refer to the requirements when registering for auditions.

Choirs

Ragazze is a training choir for girls in grades 3-5, open to any girl who wishes to sing. No audition is required, but space is limited. Girls will learn the basics of healthy singing and will perform in the spring concert with the full Girl Choir program.

Primo is an entry level choir open to girls in third and fourth grades. Concentration is on unison singing using the best-quality music literature appropriate for children. A local half-day tour is taken in the spring.

Allegretto is the training choir for Intermezzo and includes fourth and fifth grade singers. The girls receive training in Kodály and basic singing techniques including tone, vocal production, and breathing. Concentration is on unison and simple two-part singing using the best-quality age-appropriate music. Allegretto performs at least two concerts annually.

Intermezzo is open to fifth, sixth, and seventh grade girls. Musical goals of this choir include development of singing technique, including multiple part-singing, using the best-quality age-appropriate music.

Cantabile is open to girls in seventh, eighth, and ninth grades. Goals include three- and four-part singing, study of vocal technique, and performance of advanced repertoire. Several performances annually and tour opportunities. Past tours inlcuded performances in Jamestown, Virginia; Denver, Colorado and Carnegie Hall in New York.

Bel Canto is open to girls in ninth through twelfth grade. Goals include performance of advanced literature for women’s choirs and an understanding of the music’s cultural, historical, and compositional importance. Bel Canto may have public performances in addition to regularly scheduled Academy of Music concerts; they appeared as guest artists for the Monteverdi Master Chorale, sung for the Governor’s Cultural Congress, performed with the Lawrence University choirs and orchestra, and were twice selected to perform at state-wide conventions of choral conductors.

Lawrence University, PO Box 599, Appleton, WI 54912 (920) 832-7000 Contact Lawrence