William Baker, DMA, Music Director and Conductor
Christine Freeman, Associate Music Director, Senior Vocal Coach
O. Wayne Smith, DMA, Organist and Accompanist
The Summer Singers of Kansas City was formed in 1999 as an extension of the original Summer Singers created in Atlanta in 1990. The summer-only chorus of 150 voices begins rehearsals in early-June of each year and holds 8-10 rehearsals in a fun workshop setting with an emphasis on experiential learning. The repertoire usually includes a popular major work performed with guest soloists and professional orchestra, along with a wide diversity of sacred and secular choral classics, modern selections, spirituals and gospel songs.
The first fourteen seasons of the Summer Singers of Kansas City have been a great success, with singers attracted from as far away as Topeka, Garden City, Ottawa and St. Joseph. Repertoire has included Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Mendelssohn Elijah, Schubert’s Mass in G, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem and Mozart’s Requiem, Solemn Vespers and Missa Brevis in D, K-194, along with classic works by Brahms, Haydn, Beethoven, and Gretchaninoff, modern works by Lloyd Pfautsch, Mark Gresham, Norman Dello Joio, Randall Thompson and Carolyn Jennings, along with the spirituals and gospel songs for which Foundation ensembles are known. Performances are usually given to capacity audiences.
The Fifteenth Season of the Summer Singers of Kansas City in 2013 will feature Beethoven’s Mass in C and Choral Fantasy performed with distinguished soloists and members of the Kansas City Symphony.
Rehearsals begin on Tuesday, June 4th, 2013, and concert will be Sunday afternoon on August 18 at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, Broadway at 13th Street in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
