Welcome to Chicago Master Singers University!

CMS University premiered during the 2020-2021 season as a series of seminars hosted by Music Director John C. Hughes. Sessions were originally presented via YouTube livestream, but recordings are available on the CMS YouTube channel and individual sessions are linked below. The topics are of interest to singers, instrumentalists, and audience members. Enjoy!

 

In Conversation
Composer Elaine Hagenberg
Composer Philip Stopford
​CMS Soloists Discuss Their Craft

Vocal Health
Singing Over a Lifetime​
Vocal Health and Warm-Ups

Musicianship
Melody
Rhythm
Harmony
​Intonation in Choral Ensembles
Practical Uses of IPA for Choir Members
Auditioning Confidently
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Score Study
Poetry and Text Setting
Conductors’ Silent Processes
Approaching Music from Different Time Periods

Music History & Repertoire
​Gregorian Chant
The Making of a Modern Edition
The Lutheran Reformation and its Influence on Music
The Bach Family
​The Scandal and Intrigue Surrounding Mozart’s Requiem
The Requiem Genre Before and After Mozart
Spirituals: Development, Evolution, and Transformation
​The Music of John Alden Carpenter
The Estonian Choral Tradition
Choral Legacies: Famous US Choral Ensembles
Little-Known Unaccompanied Gems
Little-Known Accompanied Gems

Inside the Score
Handel’s Messiah
Mozart’s Solemn Vespers
Fauré’s Requiem
Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms