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| About Concert Singers of Cary |
Our Mission:
Our Vision:
Concert Singers of Cary is about outstanding vocal music:
Our audiences enjoy performances spanning the centuries from classical oratorio and the Baroque to traditional
Broadway favorites, and contemporary master works. Our critically acclaimed repertoire includes such diverse
works as Orff's Carmina Burana, Mozart's Requiem, Beethoven's Mass in C, Bach's Gloria
from B minor Mass, Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, Britten's Ceremony of Carols and Saint
Nicolas, Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms, Handel's Messiah,
Saint-Saens' Christmas Oratorio, and Thompson's Frostiana
and A Peaceable Kingdom, among many others.
Concert Singers of Cary is about creative programming:
Since our 1991 debut, Artistic Director Lawrence Speakman has planned concerts providing a wide-open perspective
for music lovers. In recent years we have explored music from swing, folk, Latino, madrigal, opera, spiritual, and
many other traditions, and have performed music from five continents. We've also been a leader in recognition of the value of cultural diversity, most recently with the
Wake County premiere of William Grant Still's And They Lynched Him on a Tree and a performance of
Ariel Ramirez's Navidad Nuestra.
Concert Singers of Cary is about regional excellence
Our reputation for performance excellence earned early and ongoing invitations to join arts organizations
around the Triangle. Our partners have included the North Carolina Symphony, Raleigh Symphony Orchestra, the Chamber
Orchestra of the Triangle, Triangle Wind Ensemble, and the Opera Company of North Carolina.
We have presented concert programs in communities throughout the region, including Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Apex,
and other towns and cities.
Concert Singers of Cary is about community outreach
From our "Christmas card" recording Joy! To The World: Christmas With the Concert Singers of Cary,
to the local performances of our pops ensemble Cary Voices Unlimited, to ensemble performances for public
events in Cary like the Martin Luther King Dreamfest, and through outreach and musical education programs in area schools
and retirement communities, we bring music to friends and neighbors across the Triangle.
Our membership roster of over 180 currently active singers includes people of all walks of life. We are classified as a "volunteer symphonic" chorus, but beyond that label and our shared love of vocal music the incredible diversity of our individual members speaks best for us:
Audiences for Concert Singers of Cary programs vary from program to program, but we have been developing a growing, faithful following for our diverse concert series. Recent audiences have ranged in size between 300 and 700. We provided a culturally enriching experience for over 1,800 in the short 2004-05 season and almost 2,400 last year.
Facts About Our Primary Service Area
Concert Singers of Cary's primary service area is within a 15 mile radius about the Cary center point
. It is right in the heart of the "Research Triangle" and
the three county Raleigh-Cary Metropolitan Statistical Area. Our home Town of Cary is one of North Carolina's
fastest growing cities and is now the state's sixth largest in population with more than 108,000 citizens.
Cary was recently named by Money Magazine as one of the nation's best five places to live and has accumulated a number of recent accolades, including:
This service area includes most of the City of Raleigh, southeast Durham, the Towns of Apex, Cary, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Holly Springs, and Morrisville, and the unincorporated communities of Bethesda, Fearrington, New Hill, Swift Creek, and Willow Springs, among others. It also includes North Carolina State and Shaw Universities, St.Augustine's, Meredith and Peace Colleges, and Wake Technical Community College. This area is one of the nation's four most important high-tech hot spots. Of particular importance is the 7,000-acre, 136-organization, 45,000-employee Research Triangle Park whose largest employers include IBM, Nortel Networks, GlaxoSmithKline, Cisco Systems, US EPA, Research Triangle Institute, NIEHS, and Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications.
Read more about the Greater Raleigh area
(by the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau)A Demographic Profile of Our Service Area
The following statistics for 2002 provide a picture of the residents living in a zone composed of the 18 most important zip codes in our service area.
Population:
Population by Age Cohort:
Ethnicity:
Household Income and Education:
A Survey of Our Audience
In order to better understand our audience, we conduct periodic surveys of our audience. Here are findings from all surveys taken last year:
"
...The Concert Singers of Cary continued its year long 15th anniversary celebrations with a marvelous a cappella concert by its Chamber Choir, The lovely venue and the superior singing of the large chamber choir made for a lovely evening. A German motet by Mendelssohn demonstrated the choir's outstanding artistic abilities and superior diction; ... Part two was devoted to lighter fare, but there was no lessening of artistic quality, for the components of this section had clearly received painstakingly thorough preparation. ..."
-Classical Voice North Carolina, December 2005
"
...Together, the two groups blended in a rich and exciting sound,
Both were done with choir and wind ensemble sounding professionally smooth and polished. ..."
-Classical Voice North Carolina, December 2005
"
...a real treat, especially when given with skill and commitment and as beautifully sung as this one was. The [Chamber Choir], did the first several numbers, providing in the process great pleasure and impressing with their clear diction and outstanding balance and blend ...It was a class act on a relatively intimate scale. And when the Chamber Choir was joined by the Symphonic Choir, well, they nearly overflowed their space, and they filled up the sanctuary with splendid and powerful singing.
Along the way, too, there were some fine soloists, all from the ranks of the choirs – which provides further testimony (if it is needed) of the overall excellence of these ensembles. "
-Classical Voice North Carolina, November 2005
"
...sung joyously and jubilantly by the fine chorus under the direction of Lawrence Speakman..."
-Classical Voice North Carolina, April 2005
"
Concert Singers of Cary ... presented a marvelous holiday pops concert...
it was the best sounding concert this writer has heard [at the Herbert Young Community Center], and it was one of the best and happiest holiday concerts yet heard, too. ...The large choir sang ... with keen musicianship, remarkable projection and diction (particularly given the venue), and careful attention to all the requisite niceties. "
-Classical Voice North Carolina, December 2004
"
those who heard the Concert Singers of Cary ... experienced something of this transforming community through becoming one with the music. .... overall it was a very special concert."
-Classical Voice North Carolina, November 2004
"
the Chamber Choir presented a clarity of blend and perfection of balance that was evident throughout the evening. Both the small and large choral units excelled in cohesiveness of tone quality and diction... "
-Classical Voice North Carolina, May 2004
"
Here's a big bravo to Speakman and his artists for such good programming of music by this and other contemporary composers during this outstanding evening of outstanding singing. "
-Classical Voice North Carolina, January 2004
"
[for] Monteverdi's "Gloria in Excelsis" ... the work of the 130 singers was felt as well as heard, and the results were stirring, indeed. Healy Willan's "Hodie, Christus Natus Est" was ... richly sung."
-Classical Voice North Carolina, December 2003
"
The chorus, scrupulously prepared by Lawrence Speakman, was outstanding, as this ensemble tends to be."
-Classical Voice North Carolina, March 2003
"
The chorus, well rehearsed by director Lawrence Speakman, had impressive diction, precise cutoffs and a rich blend."
-News and Observer, March 2003
"
...The well-balanced choir sang the roles of both Angels and Shepherds [in Respighi's "Laud to the Nativity"]...
The diction and projection of the choir was very good...Memorable was an extended humming vocalise by the chorus, underpinning [the] Shepherd episode..."
-Classical Voice North Carolina, January 2002
"
The concluding work was Saint-Saëns' "Christmas Oratorio,"...The choral work was excellent, and the whole thing
benefitted from ...[Director Larry] Speakman's strong abilities to achieve crisp, clear diction and proper balance and blend..."
-Classical Voice North Carolina, December 2001
"
...Diction was excellent, and overall the CSC demonstrated once again its proficiency in a wide variety
of choral literature. We admire Speakman's restraint, too, in holding the
membership of his ensemble down to a reasonable number of people--and for his attention to balances between the sections...
the choral work in the Vivaldi was quite splendid...'Twas another big success for one of our superior Triangle-based choral organizations."
-Spectator, December 2000
"The Concert Singers of Cary are known for their unusual programs, well performed.
On Saturday at the Cary Academy auditorium, the performance titled 'Musical Headlines of the 20th Century' (sic.) was
up to the usual high standard..."
-News and Observer, April 2000
"...the performance reflected the CSC's most admirable qualities..."
-Spectator, December 1999
"...The 25 singers had been beautifully prepared, and everything about the
presentation--from the program notes to the individual performances themselves--spoke of high levels of professionalism...
Balance and blend were exemplary, and diction was consistently first rate...'twas a lovely and admirably rendered program,
one that left the large crowd that turned out to hear it primed for more from this fine ensemble."
-Spectator, August 1999
"...It ["Saviour and Emperor"] was
one of the most impressive choral concerts of this season"
-News and Observer, April 1999
"...the chorus and orchestra were in top form, delivering...a crisp,
energetic reading that was distinguished by fine diction, beautiful shaping, and shading..."
-Spectator, April 1999
"Four parts of Britten's Ceremony of
Carols found the women of the CSC in top form...Beibl's Ave Maria, sung by
the men, was stunning. Can there have been a dry eye in the place?...
The capacity crowd seemed to love every minute of the presentation"
-Spectator, January 1999
"The dedicated performers who
participate in The Concert Singers of Cary are bringing prestige to their
hometown...the invitation to provide accompaniment at this star-filled
concert is affirmation that the group...has reached a level of excellence
that is recognized outside of Cary." -Cary News, "Singers become more
regional"
-Cary News, April 1998
"For the Concert Singers of Cary,
the invitation to provide accompaniment at this star-filled concert
("Stars and Stardust") is affirmation that the group...has
reached a level of excellence that is recognized outside of Cary"
-Cary News, April 1998
"This ("Schubert Mass in
G and Beethoven Mass in C") was a big success, briskly paced
and incisively realized by all concerned"
-Spectator, March 1998
"The . . . singers proved well-balanced
and thoroughly prepared (in "Saint Nicolas") . . . considerable
depth of feeling was projected throughout"
-Spectator,
December 1997
"The Concert Singers of Cary brought a rich, full sound to their contributions as the shepherds
and villagers (in "Amahl and the Night Visitors")
-News and Observer, December 1997
"The Concert Singers of Cary
presented an outstanding reading of (Fauré's "Requiem")...(and)a
gorgeous performance of the "Cantique de Jean Racine"...the
many fine attributes of good choral singing were evident throughout"
-Spectator, March 1997
"Members of the Concert Singers
of Cary composed the chorus (for "Amahl and the Night Visitors"),
and their singing added much to the quality of the performance"
-News and Observer, December
1996
Q. What kind of music does Concert Singers of Cary perform?
A. We do not specialize in any type of vocal music and have performed within a wide number of traditions. We most
often perform, as befits our size (as a 100+ symphonic chorus) works in the classical and pops traditions.
Q. How many concerts do you perform during a year?
A. We typically perform four concert projects each year. Counting collaborations with other organizations and small ensemble concerts, we have never performed more than eight projects in any given year in
our eleven year history, nor fewer than three. Singers need not commit to any number of concert projects.
Q. Does Concert Singers of Cary only focus on or appeal to Cary?
A. No! We appreciate the financial support of the
Town of Cary and the warm response from the people and civic
leadership of our community, but we have always welcomed audience, singers, and other support from many communities.
We are particularly interested in our neighbors in such communities as Apex, Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs, and Morrisville which
make up the fast-growing Southwest Wake area.
Q. How much are tickets to your concerts?
A. Our ticket rates are priced modestly compared with comparable arts events in the Triangle. Our basic ticket at
the door costs $15. Discounted rates are available for seniors, children and students and for persons purchasing
season ticket packages, when available.
Q. Where are tickets available for sale?
A.
Tickets are almost always available at the door for each event. We also sell tickets in advance through reservations
called in to our telephone message center at (919) 678-1009 or via email at our Ticket Office. Tickets are also usually available 3-4 weeks in advance of each
event at Burt Music at 1341 Kildaire Farm Road in Cary (919) 469-2922. Some events are also sold through Ticketmaster.
Q. Do you admit children to Concert Singers of Cary?
A. The basic symphonic chorus is open to any person, age sixteen or older at the time of their first concert, who
successfully completes an audition. Our
Cary Children's Concert Choir is open to
children in grades 3-6 (~ages 9-12.).
Q. When are rehearsals? how often do you rehearse?
A. Concert Singers rehearsals are held every Monday from 7:30 to 9:30 PM at
Herbert Young Community Center in Cary. Additional
rehearsals may be called as needed to adequately prepare for concerts, and mandatory orchestra ("dress") rehearsals
often occur the day before each concert. Our program year generally begins the first Monday following Labor Day and
continues, with a few Monday breaks, until May or June. We do not usually rehearse in the summer months except for special
small ensemble programs.
Updated 17 November 2006 |