We are excited to bring the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Chorus back to the stage after a long COVID related hiatus. During the 2022–23 season, the TSO Chorus will join the orchestra for several special concerts. In December we celebrate the holidays with excerpts of Handel’s Messiah as well as the Holiday Pops, featuring international holiday favorites. In January we will perform Beethoven’s inspirational Symphony No. 9, “Ode to Joy,” with renowned soloists Corinne Winters, Kelley O’Connor, Richard Trey Smagur, and Kelly Markgraf. We end the season with Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection,” in late March/early April, with soloists Kelley Nassief and Emily Marvosh. All performances will be under the direction of Music Director José Luis Gomez.
After founding the TSO Chorus in 2003 and having led the ensemble since, Dr. Bruce Chamberlain has stepped down as TSO Chorus Director. We are grateful for Dr. Chamberlain’s artistic excellence and his many contributions to the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Chorus and to the choral community of Tucson.
We are pleased to announce that for the 2022–23 season, Dr. Marcela Molina and Dr. Benjamin Hansen will share the director duties as Interim Co-Directors. Dr. Hansen will also serve as Interim Chorus Manager. The Orchestra will announce permanent leadership beginning in the 2023–24 season.
We are also pleased to have Kathryn Christiansen Lieppman join us a choral accompanist.
In lieu of auditions we will have placements over the summer, in preparation for rehearsals starting on September 12, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. at Tucson Symphony Center, 2175 N. Sixth Ave, Tucson. Additionally, we will require members to have at least two free vocal coaching sessions to be scheduled at your convenience over the summer and in early September.
If you are interested in returning to the Chorus or joining as a new member, please email chorus@tucsonsymphony.org. Information relating to the schedule, obtaining music, and coaching sessions will be sent to you. Please make sure we have all of your contact information.
Rehearsals are held every Monday (with a few exceptions) at 7:00 p.m. at Tucson Symphony Center.
TSO Chorus Earns Rave Reviews
Choral music has always been a passion of mine. I am fortunate to have conducted so many of the world’s top choruses in popular operas. Now I’m looking forward to hearing the power of the TSO Chorus, one reason I wanted to do Beethoven’s magnificent Symphony No. 9, ‘Choral,’ in my inaugural season. There may be no better way to showcase their talents than the ‘Ode to Joy.’
The TSO Chorus showed off a maturity in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony that puts them in the league of big-deal symphony choirs, the kind that come with accolades like ‘superb,’ ‘stupendous,’ and ‘monumental.’
The addition of the TSO Chorus is always a pleasure. The group has been created, honed and voiced by Director Bruce Chamberlain into a first class vocal ensemble. The unison singing in both the Beethoven and the Bernstein pieces was incredible.
Verdi’s Requiem “was prepared to exacting standards of perfection”
Mozart’s Requiem “was nothing short of spectacular.”
A Message from Music Director José Luis Gomez
Dear Choral friends of Tucson,
After two long years we are more than excited to welcome back our beloved Tucson Symphony Chorus activities during our upcoming 2022–23 season. It has been always one of the greatest assets of the TSO to have its own chorus and we can’t wait to welcome back all the great talent that we are incredibly lucky to have in our beloved community, and any new talented singers that will be joining us, so please don’t hesitate to join us in this celebration and I can’t wait to meet you all on stage!
Sincerely,
José Luis Gomez
A Message from the Chorus Directors
Dear Tucson Symphony Orchestra Chorus,
We are so excited to be your new Co-Directors and eager to restart the TSOC singing season after what has been an unprecedented two-year break due to COVID. Since the traditional deadline for auditioning has passed, in lieu of that we are asking you to arrange a time to sing for the placement of your voice. These placement sessions will be scheduled at a time of your convenience over the summer, but, we hope, well before the first rehearsal, September 12. You will be contacted individually from the email chorus@tucsonsymphony.org to schedule them. These one-on-one sessions will be with co-director and manager Dr. Benjamin Hansen and will also include helpful tips to strengthen your voice. They will be designed to work in tandem with a group voice building session led by both Dr. Molina and Dr. Hansen to be held during a retreat or the first rehearsal. This will be a great chance to not only rebuild our voices but also to rebuild our community! We thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding during the process as we believe it represents an exciting new way to reinvigorate the TSOC, and to continue the legacy of excellence established by Dr. Chamberlain.
Sincerely,
Dr. Marcela Molina and Dr. Benjamin Hansen
TSOC Co-Directors
Marcela Molina, director (beginning 2023–24 season)
Dr. Molina has been affiliated with the Tucson Girls Chorus since 2006, first serving as Artistic Director and taking the helm as Executive Director in 2011. Under Dr. Molina’s guidance, the Tucson Girls Chorus has grown significantly in program and community engagement.
Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Dr. Marcela Molina holds degrees from Westminster Choir College and the University of Arizona. She has contributed articles to Antiphon, Teaching through Performance in Choir, Volume 2, and was a contributor for the book Choral Reflections: Insights from American Choral Conductor-Teachers. She was named 2019 Choral Director of the Year by AzACDA, and often serves as a clinician and guest conductor for choral festivals. Dr. Molina has served on the AzACDA board and standing committees for the ACDA Western Division. She currently serves on the board of Chorus America.
Benjamin Hansen, assistant director and manager (beginning 2023–24 season)
Dr. Benjamin Hansen is the founder and Artistic Director of The Helios Ensemble, an award-winning SATB choral group, Interim Co-director of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Chorus, and the Director of Music at Catalina United Methodist Church. Hansen received his BA from Yale, singing in the Yale Whiffenpoofs; his MM in voice from the Catholic University of America; and his MM in conducting from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. He received a DMA in choral conducting at the University of Arizona. Dr. Hansen has conducted such works as Bach’s Mass in B Minor, Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s Mass in C, Duruflé’s Requiem, Howell’s Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem, Poulenc’s Mass in G, and Vaughan Williams’ Three Shakespeare Songs. He has studied conducting with Bruce Chamberlain, Elizabeth Schauer, Leo Nestor, Jerry Blackstone, Mark Gibson, Earl Rivers, Fiora Contino, and Robert Sund. Dr. Hansen was the Director of Choral Activities at Cincinnati State College, and a 2010 Conducting Fellow at the Chorus America Conducting Symposium in Houston, Texas.
In an effort to protect our performers and staff, TSO is requiring all members of the chorus (plus orchestra and staff) to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (this includes appropriate booster shots). We will ask members of the chorus to provide proof of vaccination before participating in any rehearsals or coaching sessions. If you experience any symptoms, please keep yourself and others safe by avoiding contact with fellow chorus members and notifying the chorus manager. If you test positive for COVID, please notify the chorus manager and observe appropriate quarantine measures as recommended by the CDC.
Chorus Placements
If you are interested in joining the Chorus as a new member, please email chorus@tucsonsymphony.org. Information relating to the schedule, obtaining music, and coaching sessions will be sent to you. Please make sure we have all of your contact information.
Rehearsals are held every Monday (with a few exceptions) at 7:00 p.m. at Tucson Symphony Center.