St. Charles Singers
tune up for new season
Rachel Baruch Yackley
Posted Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Christina Sutton grew up in St. Charles and has been a member of choirs before.
But never one quite like the St. Charles Singers.
Sutton, who recently left her corporate job in Los Angeles and returned to St. Charles, is working on becoming “reinvolved in artistic endeavors.”
A month ago, she tried out for the professional choir along with about 50 others—including the 28 members of last year’s group—for 31 slots.
“We do auditions every two or three years,” said Jeff Hunt, the director of St. Charles Singers, who founded the group in 1984. “This year’s response has been phenomenal.”
Sopranos Amanda King, Grace Bardsley, Cynthia Spiegel, Breanne Koll
and Olivia Flanigan
Everyone who auditioned, whether new to the group or a veteran of the St. Charles Singers, had to bring two musical pieces to perform. Each singer was also evaluated on sight-reading and tonal memory skills.
The odds weren’t great for Sutton. But she did have plenty in her favor. In addition to her choir experience, the 1993 graduate of St. Charles High School has studied voice, violin, piano and flute.
For her two musical pieces, Sutton sang from “Cats.” She was then tested on tonal memory, for which the group’s pianist, Ellen Coman, played several series of notes on the piano, and Sutton had to sing each series back.
Also tested for sight reading abilities, Sutton sang “Dixit Maria,” accompanied by Coman.
Sutton made it.
“It was so exciting,” Sutton said. “I was keeping my fingers crossed. With all the exceptional people they had over the two days (of auditions), I wasn’t sure I’d make it.”
This is the first time she has been part of a choir that compensates its singers. All members of this professional ensemble group—sopranos, altos, tenors and bass-baritones—are paid for rehearsals and performances. Rehearsals are held each Sunday for two hours, and more frequently right before a performance.
“To be compensated is nice,” she said. “But this is very exciting. It’s really very emotional.”
Auditions were held in the chapel at Baker Memorial United Methodist Church in St. Charles. This beautiful space with phenomenal natural acoustics is the group’s principle concert venue.
Singers auditioned in front of Jeff Hunt and David Hunt, the group’s associate director. Members of St. Charles Singers range in age from 18 to their mid-50s.
Jeff Hunt directs during a recent Sunday evening rehearsal
When Jeff Hunt started this group in 1984, he had just finished graduate school at Northwestern University. He is director of music at Baker and also teaches music appreciation courses at Elgin Community College.
The Singers’ repertoire includes pieces from the Renaissance to the 20th century, secular works and part songs, chamber and even vocal jazz compositions.
Over the past 22 years, the choir has performed with the Dale Warland Singers, the Apollo Chorus and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. It has even toured England and France and recorded a number of CDs.
In May, the St. Charles Singers will perform songs by American composer Aaron Copland with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Robert Hanson, both in a concert and for a CD.
