The Choral Commons: A New Project and A New Partnership

July 24, 2020

Chorus America is excited to be a community partner of a newly-launched initiative, The Choral Commons, founded by University of San Diego director of choral studies Emilie Amrein and Boston University professor of music André de Quadros.

The Choral Commons was created as a space for choruses to envision futures centered on equity and innovation. The project aims to use this unique moment to reflect on past choral practices and imagine new possibilities for choral organizations and the choral art form. The Choral Commons engages the choral community in meaningful dialogue by producing podcasts; interactive webinars; and curated resources on equity, innovation, and community engagement.

The most recent podcast episode features a portion of Amrein and de Quadros's presentation "Reimaging the Choir" at the 2020 Chorus America Virtual Conference. Tomorrow, the project launches a new episode on creative youth development with Sister Cities Girlchoir founder and artistic director Alysia Lee, who is also a Chorus America board member.

Before forming The Choral Commons, Amrein and de Quadros teamed up to found Common Ground Voices / La Frontera, a chorus that engages in peacebuilding projects at the U.S.-Mexico border, which they have co-directed since 2018.

As the project continues to grow and evolve in response to the changing times, we look forward to sharing more details about how our partnership takes shape. Currently, The Choral Commons is seeking applications for volunteer community organizers that will convene justice- and culture-oriented choral communities in the focal areas of the Commons; interested individuals can find more information on The Choral Commons' application form.