Join a Choral Ensemble!

(You Will Love It!)

Choral Ensembles are open to all UMass and Five College students (not just Music majors), subject to auditions held at the beginning of each semester.

Please see the Choral Activities website for information about Chamber Choir, University Chorale, and Conductors' Chorus.

Fall 2023: Brief and enjoyable placement hearings are required for all choirs.
Spring 2024: Hearings for new students only, by appointment on Mon. Feb. 5 @ 3-5pm in Bromery 357.

University Chorale and Conductors' Chorus do not require a prepared solo at the audition.
Please see the Choral Activities site to learn about the ensembles, and the Auditions page for specifics and links to sign up. Also see the Choral Activities 2023-24 Schedule =>.

Lindsay Pope is the Director of Choral Studies, and conductor of the Chamber Choir. Stephen Paparo conducts the University Chorale. The Conductors' Chorus is led by Lindsay Pope and student conductors. Spring 2024: Lindsay Pope is on leave; Chamber Choir is led by Prof. Emeritus E. Wayne Abercrombie. Stephen Paparo is on leave; the Chorale is led by Reagan Paras.

Spring performances are Fri. Feb. 23 @ 7:30pm (Chamber Choir), Sat. Mar. 9 @ 2:30pm (Chorale with Springfield Symphony); Sat. April 13 @ 4:30pm (Chamber Choir w/ The New Consort);  Sat. May 4, 4pm (all Choral ensembles w/ Orchestra).

General info: Ensembles are open to all UMass Amherst and Five College students, subject to auditions held at the beginning of each semester. All ensembles appear in concert on campus several times a year. Ensembles have also been selected to represent UMass Amherst at conventions and festivals that have included Symphony Hall in Springfield, MA; the Washington, D.C. home of the Marine Band; and the Capitol Building in Boston.

Auditions Auditions

Ensemble descriptions

Lindsay Pope.
Director of Choral Studies; Conductor, Chamber Choir and Conductors' Chorus
Lindsay Pope

Director of Choral Studies, Assistant Professor of Music

Lindsay Pope is Director of Choral Studies at UMass Amherst, where she directs the Chamber Choir and teaches conducting. Previously, she directed the programs at Mount Holyoke College and Williams College. She was also Assistant Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Chorus, for which her work was praised as “exemplary and well-prepared” (Texas Classical Review). Pope’s research interests include early music performance practice, the ethics of choral programming, and the intersection of women and gender studies with choral music.
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A headshot of Stephen Paparo.
Conductor, University Chorale
Stephen A. Paparo

Associate Professor, Music Education, Choral Conductor

Active as a guest conductor, Dr. Paparo has conducted all-state and honor choirs at all levels in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. His research interests include the application of the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education to singing instruction in the choral setting, non-traditional choral ensembles, such as contemporary collegiate a cappella, virtual choirs, and circle singing groups, and LGBTQ+ studies in music education.
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