Chorus Performing (Photo: Norwood Photography)
Please Note: This program's rehearsal schedule has rescheduled dates and times and has adjusted to 6 total rehearsals (originally April 14 to June 9, 2020, 6:45 to 8:30 p.m. rehearsals). The concert performance will remain on June 16, 2020, but will start at 7 p.m. (originally 6:45 p.m.).
Join fellow fans of the Great American Songbook in a choral program that celebrates some of the most enduring music of Broadway and Hollywood. If you like classics such as Over the Rainbow, I Got Rhythm, or Let’s Do It, then it’s time to join the Smithsonian Chorus, a program geared for adults who enjoy singing the popular music of many eras—and there’s no experience required.
Ernest Johnson leads the ensemble in arrangements of the hits you know and love. Songs may include favorites by George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Rodgers and Hart, and others selected by the conductor. (The final song list and musical arrangements are chosen to fit the specific vocal and musical abilities of the group.)
The experience is designed to entertain, challenge, and educate singers of all skill levels. Singers receive general instruction in vocal techniques that includes exercises in healthy breath management for singing and improving your voice’s tone and range. Basic music-reading instruction is covered in rehearsal.
Johnson is a choral conductor and music educator who has worked with singers and musicians of all ages for more than 40 years. He is the director of adult choirs at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Alexandria, an adjunct professor at George Mason University, and active as a guest conductor, teacher, and clinician throughout the area.
Rehearsals culminate in a free performance on June 16.
6 rehearsals plus performance
