About the Fairfield County Chorale

About the Chorale

Last modified 12/26/2007

The Fairfield County Chorale began informally in 1963, and was incorporated as a non-profit musical organization in 1965. Our mission is to perform a broad range of choral music for the benefit of the community, and to champion the appreciation of excellence in choral literature. The music we have performed spans the best selections, from Bach, Haydn and Mozart to Stravinsky and Britten. We desire to keep the choral tradition alive in the diverse Fairfield County community by reaching out to include area individuals, church and temple members, and students from area high schools, and performing joint concerts with groups like the Fairfield Children’s Choir.

We strive for authenticity… to perform our music in the manner the composers intended. We believe that by doing this we enrich not only the musical experience of the Fairfield County community, but also that of our members, who come from throughout Fairfield County and represent all ages and all walks of life. We have presented more than 180 choral works through our history, with more than 1,500 singers participating over the years. We have been privileged to present a number of local, U.S. and world premieres, including new choral works that we ourselves have commissioned.

Appearances

The year 2000 marked the return of the Chorale to Carnegie Hall. The Chorale has also appeared in such prestigious venues as St. Patrick’s Cathedral Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. as well as performing in conjunction with the Connecticut Early Music Festival and the Waterloo (N.J.) Festival. We also have a long and active history of international performances, including music festivals and concerts in Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland, Russia and Yugoslavia.

Rehearsals and Performances

The Fairfield County Chorale rehearses and performs at:
Norwalk Concert Hall - City Hall, 125 East Avenue, Norwalk, CT

Rehearsals take place on Monday evenings from September to June
in the concert hall's Mary McCarthy Rehearsal Room. Rehearsals
are held from 7:30PM to 10:00PM

Volunteering

The Chorale is a group of talented and dedicated singers, of course. But more than that, it is a huge volunteer effort. A few calculations that may be of interest:

40 2-hour rehearsals/season = 80 hours/member X 120 members = 9600 chorus hours.

Try putting that in any organization’s budget!

In addition, there is the work of the officers and Board members, some of whom contribute close to 20 hours per week during the season, and many of whom contribute close to that as each concert approaches.

We must also figure in the volunteer hours spent selling and delivering cheese, fudge and fruitcake; selling tickets; putting up posters; organizing mailings; ordering and keeping track of music; taking attendance; fund-raising events such as the recent Cabaret and tag sale; and keeping in touch with each section’s singers. The Chorale’s season would not be possible without the tremendous non-musical efforts of the same members who are on stage singing this evening.

Non-singers could do much of the necessary work. If you would like to be part of the Chorale’s administrative and outreach efforts, we can find a place for you! Join us and share the satisfaction that comes from helping present these beautiful concerts.

Office Location

The chorale's office is located at:
61 Unquowa Road, Fairfield, CT 06824
(203) 254-1333

Executive Director: John Parkinson

Chorale President: Eric Stones

Webmaster: Michael Hudson