GET TO KNOW CAROLINA VOICES

MISSION
 Carolina Voices celebrates the human voice and its power to enrich, educate, entertain and unite by producing and performing a wide repertoire of choral music at the highest possible artistic level for a diverse community.  

VISION

Carolina Voices shall be a nationally recognized facilitator for uniting voices of diverse communities through choral music and shall be internationally recognized for choral excellence.  

Founded as the Charlotte Choral Society in 1953 and renamed Carolina Voices in 2000, Carolina Voices has been giving voice – literally – to the human experience for more than 50 years.  Known first and foremost for its production of The Singing Christmas Tree, Carolina Voices has grown from modest beginnings into a choral arts organization embracing three vocal ensembles including MainStage Choir, Festival Singers,and Impromptu which all perform a variety of music that is unequaled in the Charlotte community. 

Comprised of more than 130 volunteer singers in a given year, membership is by audition and interview.  During the season, Carolina Voices’ ensembles produce concerts, workshops, educational opportunities, summer youth camps and special events which touch thousands of adults and children in the diverse Charlotte Metrolina area.  But what really sets Carolina Voices apart is the extraordinary spirit of its volunteer singers who provide their talent, time and energy to share their passion for music with others. 

With a rich legacy – and even more exciting vision for the future – Carolina Voices is proud to provide a dynamic resource for those in greater Charlotte who wish to perform choral music as well as for those who enjoy listening to it.

 

  • Founded in 1953 as Charlotte Choral Society.
  • Produced the first Singing Christmas Tree show in the United States.
  • Formed Chamber Ensemble, a select vocal group within the MainStage Choir in 1990.
  • Became an affiliate of the Arts & Science Council in 1992.
  • Held its first free outreach performance of The Singing Christmas Tree with a “Sneak Preview” in 1994.
  • Formed Noteability education and outreach choir in 1995.
  • Changed name to Carolina Voices in 2000 to better reflect the community served.
  • Celebrated 50th Anniversary of The Singing Christmas Tree in 2004.

 

The Art of Choral Singing

 

  • 28.5 million adults and children regularly perform in choral groups in the United States. That’s more than any other art form. There are 250,000 choruses in the United States. More than 15 percent of adults (and 18 percent of adults and children) sing in a choir or chorus. Choral singing is popular because it offers individuals the opportunity to participate in an activity that involves them artistically, builds community, enhances and improves skills, and results in a product of great beauty. Studies found that choristers are very active in their communities, even apart from their chorus participation, and behave in ways that are important to community-building. Nearly 76 percent of choral singers report performing other volunteer activities.  Choral singers are “joiners-in” and major consumers of, the arts.

 

  • Most choristers have had some level of professional training and take their singing very seriously—it is not merely a “spare time” hobby.

Chorus America Impact Study, 2003.