East Panhandle Times

Masterworks Chorale announces January 9 auditions for spring performance

The Masterworks Chorale, under the direction of Dr. Steven Grives, will be holding auditions in early January for its spring performance of Ein deutsches Requiem, the great Romantic masterpiece by Brahms. Masterworks Chorale is looking for tenors and basses in particular, but auditions are open to all voices and consist of vocal exercises and sight-reading. Singers should prepare a short piece to sing without accompaniment that shows off their voice (classical or folk song preferred). Interested singers should attend the first rehearsal on Monday, January 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the McCoy Rehearsal Hall in the Frank Arts Center.

The 120-member vocal ensemble, comprised of Shepherd University vocal students and members from the surrounding community, presents two full-length concerts per year of great masterpieces from the choral literature with soloists and orchestra. The spring performance will be held Saturday, April 22.

Dr. Steven Grives is visiting assistant professor of music and director of choral activities at Shepherd University for the 2022-23 academic year. A native of New York, Dr. Grives holds a D.M.A. in choral literature and conducting from the University of Colorado, an M.M. in choral conducting from the University of Maine, and a B.A. in music from Bowdoin College. With more than 20 years of experience conducting college and university choirs before coming to Shepherd, Dr. Grives served as interim director of choral activities at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, visiting choral artist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and visiting associate professor and director of choral ensembles at DePaul University. While at DePaul, Dr. Grives prepared choruses for performances with the Chicago Sinfonietta, Illinois Philharmonic, and the DePaul Symphony Orchestra.

From 2003-2012, Dr. Grives served as associate professor and director of choral activities at South Dakota State University (SDSU), conducting the Concert Choir and Statesmen, teaching conducting and methods, and administering the choral program. Under his direction, SDSU choirs performed at national, regional, and state conferences and toured internationally and nationally. In addition to his academic work, Dr. Grives conducted church, community, and professional choirs in Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and South Dakota. Most recently, he was the choir director at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Lincoln, Nebraska.

For more information or to schedule an audition, contact Dr. Steven Grives at (304) 876-5371 or sgrives@shepherd.edu.

Original source can be found here