Choral Ensembles
Choral Ensembles
We have five choirs on campus, all of which are open to students from across campus. Three are open to students and do not require an audition—simply register: Concert Choir, Resound Gospel Choir, and Schola Cantorum. The other two require an audition: Chorale and University Singers.
Joining a Choir
Concert Choir, Resound Gospel Choir, and Schola Cantorum
No audition is required!
Sign up for Concert Choir using MUSC462
Sign up for Resound Gospel Choir using MUSC465
Sign up for Schola Cantorum using MUSC461
Chorale and University Singers
All students who hope to participate in Chorale or University Singers (even returning members) must submit a new audition each year. To audition for one of these choirs, visit this link:
Chorale (MUSC463)
- Auditioned
- Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:40–6:40 p.m.
- Directed by Paul D. Head
The UD Chorale is among the most highly regarded collegiate choirs in the eastern United States. The ensemble has been invited to perform at regional conventions of the American Choral Directors Association in Pittsburgh in 2002, Hartford in 2008 and Boston in 2016, as well as national conventions in Los Angeles in 2005 and Dallas in 2013. It has also performed at Carnegie Hall in New York and Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. In addition to annual regional tours, the Chorale has traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia.
The Chorale completed a 10-day concert tour of China in 2009 and competed in international choral competitions in Tallinn, Estonia, in 2007; Tolosa, Spain, in 2010; and Debrecen, Hungary, in 2012. The ensemble placed among the top three in every category in which it competed, winning the Grand Prix in Estonia and finishing as runner-up for the Grand Prix in Hungary.
In 2012, the Chorale was the only American university choir featured at the 30th International Society for Music Education World Conference in Thessaloniki, Greece. In spring 2017, the ensemble traveled abroad to perform Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra in Israel. The tour continued with performances at a festival in Malta and an international choral competition in Germany.
The Chorale has released five recordings, including The Road to Debrecen, which features virtuosic choral music from Eastern Europe, and Carols by Candlelight.
Chorale members also perform as part of the symphonic chorus that regularly appears with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra. Performances have included Cherubini’s Requiem, Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony, Mozart’s Requiem, Verdi’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana.
University Singers (MUSC460)
- Audition required
- Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:55–5:15 p.m.
- Directed by Noélia L. Archambeault de Hernández
The University Singers are a select treble-voice ensemble at the University of Delaware. Members are chosen through competitive auditions at the beginning of each academic year and represent all undergraduate class years and more than 30 majors across the University.
The ensemble performs four or five concerts each year and tours throughout Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The University Singers appeared at the NAfME Eastern Conference in 2013, the ACDA Eastern Conference in 2014 and 2018 and the NJMEA Conference in 2019.
Their repertoire spans medieval chant, Baroque chamber music, 19th-century opera, contemporary music, jazz and multicultural works.
Concert Choir (MUSC462)
- Enroll today — no audition required (MUSC 462)
- Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:45–2:05 p.m.
- Directed by Aimee D. Pearsall-Kramer
The University of Delaware Concert Choir is open to all University students and performs accompanied and unaccompanied choral music in a variety of genres. The ensemble includes undergraduate students from a wide range of degree programs.
Schola Cantorum (MUSC461)
- Enroll today — no audition required (MUSC 461)
- Tuesdays, 7:30–9:30 p.m.
- Directed by Paul D. Head
Schola Cantorum is the Symphonic Choir at the University of Delaware that is open to students, faculty, staff and community members who love to sing!
Resound (MUSC465)
- No audition required — simply register.
- Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:15–6:45 p.m.
Resound is the University of Delaware’s choral ensemble devoted to the performance of music from the Black Diaspora. Launched in spring 2023, Resound was founded under the leadership of its appointed founding director, Arreon A. Harley-Emerson. While gospel music and its unique performance practice are central to the ensemble’s identity, Resound also performs a diverse array of sacred and secular works composed by Black composers, celebrating the depth and breadth of this rich musical heritage.
Resound is an inclusive and welcoming community, open to all University of Delaware students regardless of academic major, race/ethnicity, faith or other identities. The ensemble embraces the philosophy of radical hospitality, fostering an environment where singers are encouraged to engage deeply with the music and with each other. Much of the repertoire is learned through the aural/oral tradition, without reliance on sheet music, allowing students to authentically experience musical practices beyond the Western Classical tradition. Through this approach, Resound emphasizes musical authenticity, cultural understanding and the joy of shared artistry.
More than just a choir, Resound is a joyful and dynamic choral community, dedicated to meaningful storytelling through song and to honoring the voices and contributions of Black composers. By centering the traditions of the Black Diaspora, Resound creates space for both historical reflection and contemporary expression, ensuring that this music continues to inspire, uplift and resonate for generations to come.
Ready to Audition?
Three of our choirs are open to registration without audition. Enroll in Concert Choir (MUSC462), Resound Gospel Choir (MUSC465), or Schola Cantorum (MUSC461) today!
For the two choirs that require an audition (Chorale & University Singers), there is a preliminary audition that is an online form. There may be an in-person callback process involved.
