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Inspired by the professional European choirs he heard at the World Symposium on Choral Music in Rotterdam, Netherlands, recently, choral director Michael O'Neal has decided to go professional with the Michael O’Neal Chamber Singers. This is a 24-voice ensemble drawn from the 150-voice Michael O'Neal Singers, based at Roswell United Methodist Church, where O'Neal is music director.
In an area as rich with choral music as Atlanta, where fine choral musicians came en masse to study and perform with the late Robert Shaw, it's a wonder no professional choir exists already. But then Shaw had a great respect for committed musical amateurs by which he did not mean those who were unpaid but those who loved music whether they were paid or not.
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O’Neal aims to fill a void with a group to equal such nationally known ensembles as the Dale Warland Singers of Minneapolis (who are coming to Spivey Hall next season) and Los Angeles Master Chorale.
In its first year, the professional group will be paid a stipend in accordance with guidelines set up by Chorus America, the national service agency. O'Neal says professionalization will require a major fund-raising commitment from the group and its board of directors. The annual operating budget of the choir is currently $175,000, of which about $14,000 goes to the Chamber Singers. When the small ensemble singers are salaried, the cost will go up.
Information on auditioning for the Michael O'Neal Singers or Chamber Singers: 770-594-7974.
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