Chorus Information
La Peña Community Chorus
Lichi Fuentes, Director
Information last updated: 2008-07-05
Status:
Current
Basic Information
| Asst Conductor : | Jan Thyer, Assistant Director |
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| Description: | This is an amateur, community, recreational, special interest chorus, open to the general public. |
| Web Address: | http://www.lapenachorus.org |
| Year Estab: | 1978 |
| Mission: | To perform Nueva Canción repertoire in concert, for benefits, rallies, progressive causes, in and around Bay Area with occasional tours around California. |
| Emphasis: | Latin American new song |
| Size: | 25-30 |
| Concerts/Year: | 12-15 |
| Auditions: | Yes, held once a month before rehearsal, between 7:00 p.m. and 7:45 p.m., prearranged with the conductor. Auditions required the singing of a major scale up and down, singing of a simple, well-known song, holding a part against another singer, a 5-note tonal memory test. Auditionee must demonstrate the ability to stay on pitch and in key. |
| Dues: | $25 per month |
| Dress: | Black bottom, pants or skirt, and solid, bright-colored top. |
| Rehearsals: | Tuesday, 7:45 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck, Berkeley |
Categories
| Type of Music: | Classical Contemporary Ethnic/Folk |
Type of Chorus: | Mixed Adult Ethnic Political |
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| Rehearse City: | Berkeley | ||
| Region: | Alameda County West | ||
| Audition Req'd: | Y | ||
Chorus Contact Information
| Mailing Address: | La Peña Community Chorus, 3105 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, 94705 |
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| Phone: | (510) 845-5161 |
| Email: | info@lapenachorus.org |
Other Information
| Discography: | All of our recordings are made by us, none done commercially. We have not made any to sell; however, we did bring some to give as gifts in Cuba. |
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| History: | from website: The La Peña Community Chorus has been singing songs of peace, justice, and hope since it began in 1978. Started by the Chilean exile community who founded La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley in 1975, the original mission of the Chorus was one of solidarity with the resistance against the dictatorship in Chile. But over the years our focus has expanded to other countries, including the struggles of people in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Mexico, Cuba, and to various labor, community, and women's struggles closer to home. Our music includes not only the Nueva Canción (or "New Song Movement") of Chile, but styles based in the folk and social justice movements of all of Latin America. We sing in nursing homes, elders' residences, hospitals, migrant labor camps, juvenile halls, rehabilitation centers, and schools, in addition to our public concerts and performances. In 1995, we were the first North American chorus to take part in the International Choral Festival in Santiago, Cuba. We followed up that tour by visiting Chile in 1999, Mexico in 2002, and Peru in 2006. |
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