Friday, August 28, 2015

New singing opportunities at the Patel Conservatory


The Patel Conservatory has added new Vocal Arts classes to our 2015/2016 music schedule.

We’ve added more options to give students the best experience for their age and experience level. With a variety of choirs and ensembles, beginner through advanced students can experience the joys of singing while working with master teachers to improve their skills.


“This is going to be a new and exciting year of music-making! With the recent changes to our program, we are able to raise the quality of all of our ensembles and add variety to the music that we are singing. I can’t wait to get started!” said Kavanaugh Gillespie, director of Patel Conservatory’s Vocal Arts program.

Students in our Vocal Arts classes enjoy performance opportunities throughout the year, including two concerts on our Straz Center stages, and community events. They’ll also enjoy the camaraderie of social events such as our Fall Vocal Arts Kick Off Retreat, which will be Sept. 13 and includes food, fun and Frisbee, and, a trip to see the group Straight No Chaser at the Straz Center.

Check out our new Vocal Arts classes: 

Treble Choir FORMERLY JUNIOR CHOIR
Grades 5 to 8
Fridays, 5 to 6:30 p.m.
For boys and girls with unchanged voices, this class helps students build their music reading skills and develop good singing technique through classic choral and popular repertoire. This class would be a great fit for our musical theater students who want to build their vocal skills and gain large-group choral and performance experience. No audition required.

Women’s Ensemble NEW!
Grades 7 to CollegeTuesdays, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Men’s Ensemble NEW!
Grades 7 to College
Thursdays, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Students in these ensembles will explore challenging and fun, gender-specific repertoire for performance opportunities throughout the year. Our holiday performance will include “Mr. Santa (a play on “Mr. Sandman”) by the women, and the men’s group will perform “The Twelve Days After Christmas,” a humorous piece detailing the horror that ensues once all the fabled gifts arrived. Audition is required for both ensembles.


Mixed Choir NEW!
Grades 7 to College
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Exceptional male and female vocalists are selected for this advanced choir. The group will study exciting and challenging choral literature for performance opportunities. Repertoire will include a piece commissioned for the Straz Center’s 2015 Broadway Season and written by Jamey Ray, of Liberty Voices, a renowned a cappella group that performs around the world. The group visited our recent Summer Voice Intensive and performed at the Straz Center's President’s Luncheon. (Check them out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ0CZB_DUzE)Audition is required for Mixed Choir. Students in Mixed Choir are also strongly encouraged to enroll in Men's Ensemble or Women's Ensemble.

To schedule an audition for advanced ensembles, contact Kavanaugh Gillespie at kavanaugh.gillespie@strazcenter.org.

For more information or to register, call 813.222.1002 or email patelconservatory@strazcenter.org.