The Choral Project

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The Choral Project

Founded in 1996 by Artistic Director Daniel Hughes, The Choral Project has developed an outstanding reputation for performing high-level choral literature and bridging the gap between text and music. singer and spectator. The 40-voice ensemble has performed throughout the world to rave reviews and standing ovations. including performances for the American Choral Directors Association, the California Music Educators Association, the National Association of Composers of the USA, a performance by invitation to represent California at the National Cathedral in Washington. D.C.. as part of the California State Day Celebration. as well as sold–out concerts in Mexico, Costa Rica and the United Kingdom. In July 2007, The Choral Project placed in all three categories at the California International Choral Festival & Competition in San Luis Obispo, CA, taking home 1st place in the Choir’s Choice category. 2nd place in the Required Pieces category, and 3rd in the Folk Music category. In 2004. The Choral Project took 2nd place in the Mixed Choir competition at the 58th annual International Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales. This was a significant achievement for the Choral Project, as over 650 choirs from around the world auditioned and only nine were chosen to compete. The Choral Project received the highest individual score of any performing group (95 out of 100) for its performance of Juris Karlsons's "Neslegtais Gredzens," where an international panel of judges glowingly described the performance as a “tour de force.”

How it all ends...

Europe » Spain » Basque Country » Bilbao November 2nd 2011

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Editor's note: this post is late due to limited wireless access at the end of our trip. My apologies... Well this is it, folks. We have come to the end of our journey. Before I start into the final few days, on behalf of the Choral Project, I would like to thank all of our supporters, financial, spiritual, and emotional. Without you, this trip would not have been possible, and we are all grateful. On the morng of the 31st, we rose early to rehearse for the last time prior to competing. We spent a bit over 2 hours working on ironing out the last few kinks in the music. We wanted every piece to be better than it had been before. After rehearsal, we adjourned to the hotel for lunch and a brief rest before ... read more

Aoiz

Europe » Spain » Navarre October 31st 2011

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Last night's concert, the last prior to the competition, was in Aoiz. At the risk of repeating myself, the audience was lovely, and the choir rose to the occasion in a room that was less acoustically friendly than the churches we've been performing in thus far. After the concert, we went into Pamplona for dinner, where we encountered our first other choirs. One was a male quartet from the Netherlands. We all sang for each other. They were stupendous! They are not here to compete, only to perform in the festival. Daniel had a few minutes to speak with them, and managed to forge enough of a connection to get one of their arrangements. Look out, Menharmonics! Then as we were leaving, we saw that a Filipino children's choir was in the other dining room. All ... read more

Polanco and San Sebastian

Europe » Spain » Basque Country » Tolosa October 30th 2011

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The Choral Festival here has booked us in outreach concerts all around the area. Sadly, two of these are somewhat far flung. Last afternoon, we boarded the bus for a 2.5 hour ride to Polanco, a little hillside town (population 5500) almost directly west of here. On arrival, we had a quick rehearsal. In the church where we were to perform (originally a Roman temple, now restored after a fire during the Spanish Civil War). From there we walked over to the City Hall, where the vice mayor welcomed us to the town and presented us with some small gifts to commemorate our visit. As it turned out, we were the final performers in their annual choral concert series. When we got back into the church, the local choir had performed a few pieces, and the ... read more

Into Basque Country

Europe » Spain » Basque Country » Tolosa October 29th 2011

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Okay, so we're not actually in Tolosa. We arrived yesterday in Zarautz, which is where we will stay for the duration of the festival. Zarautz is a coastal resort town about 30 minutes by bus from Tolosa. Yesterday's schedule was pretty tight. We arrived, checked in, and went immediately to rehearse. After a brief rehearsal, we came back to the hotel, changed clothes, and went back to the church to sing. The house was packed, and again we found an incredibly receptive and appreciative audience. After the concert, we came back to the hotel, changed again, and left immediately for dinner (later than expected: 10:30 pm). The restaurant staff was lovely, and served up a tasty beef stew. This was a welcome change for some singers, as much of the cuisine thus far has focused on ... read more

Burgos - Day 2

Europe » Spain » Castile & León » Burgos October 27th 2011

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This morning saw us board the bus for a tour of Burgos and environs. The walking tours have been occasionally challenging, as autumn has brought periodic rain to the area. As it was raining this morning, we rearranged our tour to begin with a visit to the Monasterio Cartuja de Miraflores. This monastery is just outside Burgos, and was founded by Saint Bruno. Burgos is home to many monasteries and churches, as it is directly on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. This monastery is notable for being the birthplace of the modern rosary. They still make rosaries here, with beads made from rose petals. The monastic community here maintains silence, and keeps to the longstanding tradition of "Ora et Labora" (pray and work). After the monastery, we returned to Burgos proper, where the rain ... read more

Burgos Bound

Europe » Spain » Castile & León » Burgos October 26th 2011

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Nearly everyone attended yesterday's walking tour of Salamanca, but for two singers who have head colds. They opted to rest up prior to the concert. Those of us who went on the tour enjoyed a long visit to the cathedral, where we were able to do some semi-spontaneous singing under its soaring 220 foot dome. In the evening, we were off to the Palacio Figueroa to sing our first concert of our amended tour. The room was packed, with audience members standing all around the walls after the chairs filled. We could not have had a more receptive and appreciative audience. We retired from the concert to a group dinner near the city center. We didn't finish dinner until nearly midnight, which means we're starting to eat on Spanish time (most restaurants don't open their kitchens ... read more

Sleepy in Salamanca

Europe » Spain » Castile & León » Salamanca October 25th 2011

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After a difficult three days, The Choral Project is fully reunited. Those of us who made it to Madrid in the first two days met the rest of our weary travelers at the Madrid Airport yesterday and drove immediately to Salamanca. Our day started with a bus and walking tour of Madrid. From the bus, it was hard to judge the size of the city, but from a distance, it is clearly a large metropolitan area. The Palacio Real was a particular highlight, though viewed through a sudden downpour. The Palacio also serves as a museum, though we had insufficient time for a visit. From there we went to the Plaza Mayor and visited Botin, which holds the Guiness record for oldest continuously operating restaurant in the world (and was also a hangout for Ernest Hemingway). ... read more

Auspicious Beginnings

Europe » Spain » District of Madrid » Madrid October 23rd 2011

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Dateline San Francisco... The Choral Project all managed to arrive at San Francisco International with time to spare. Our tour representative checked us in, gave us our luggage tags, and we were ready for adventure. Most of us enjoyed a little snack, since we had two hours before boarding, and then we were off. Well actually, we weren't. Our plane had an engine problem at takeoff, which the captain said was immediately apparent. We returned to the gate, and the Lufthansa engineers set to work. After a couple of hours, though, it became clear that our flight was not to be. We deplaned and claimed our luggage, returning to the counter for alternate arrangements. The airline put us up for the night in the Embassy Suites, and routed us on to shuttles to the hotel. By ... read more

Final Five Days!

North America » United States » California » Cupertino October 17th 2011

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San José Choral Productions had a successful fundraiser in Song & Chance on Saturday. Many thanks to those of you who are reading this, and who managed to attend, or who donated, or both! We would love for each of you to come back next year, and bring a friend! Tonight marks our last rehearsal before we leave for Spain. Many of you are aware that we have been spending a great deal of our rehearsal time on the literature for the competition in Tolosa. Before we get there, though, we have a series of concerts as we wend our way through Spain. Tonight's rehearsal will focus on all of the rest of the music we are taking on tour, as well as hammering out some final administrative details. The excitement is definitely upon us, and ... read more

The Countdown Continues

North America » United States » California » Cupertino October 5th 2011

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The Choral Project is in the final few weeks of preparations for departure on October 21 to Spain. The tour group is working hard in rehearsals, spending the first half with our new members working on music for later this season, and the second half putting the finishing touches on the competition music. When not rehearsing, we're practicing on our own while we figure out how to pack for 12 days in our allotted luggage space, and preparing for Song and Chance. Speaking of Song and Chance, that event on October 15 at the San José City Hall Rotunda will be your chance to see and hear us perform all of our competition repertoire. Come and wish us Bon Voyage and buena suerte! Tickets are available from the San José Choral Productions website (www.sjcp.org).... read more

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