April 4, 2002
INFORMATION: Sue Bozman or John McElwain, (661) 362-3415 or 3494

COC Choirs Combine for Musical Extravaganza

SANTA CLARITA ­ The College of the Canyons choral department’s spring production will deliver in grand style when all three choirs unify for a musical extravaganza on May 17. Led by director Julie Lawson, the concert will explore a wide variety of languages, styles and composers while combining the unique talents of the three separate COC choirs.

“It’s an exciting opportunity to blend the voices of all three groups into one fascinating, cohesive performance,” said Lawson.

In order to accommodate the rapidly expanding choral department, three separate choirs were created at College of the Canyons, each specializing in a specific range of music. The Voices of the Canyons is a large, mixed-voice choir that works on everything from folk songs, spirituals, motets and cantatas, to larger works for choir and orchestra. The Chamber Singers, also a mixed-voice group, is smaller in size and works on music more suitable for small, intimate gatherings, such as madrigals, chansons, jazz and pop. Les Chanteuses, a women's choir and the newest addition to the campus, performs music written specifically for the female voice. Choir membership is drawn from both students and community members alike.

The choirs will merge their talents to perform an exciting mix of styles on May 17, with scheduled works ranging from Schubert to Berlin, Gospel to Renaissance Motet, and Latin to Japanese. The performance begins at 8 p.m. in the campus dining room. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors, children and students and include refreshments following the performance. Advance tickets can be purchased by calling the music department at (661) 362-3254.

About Director Julie Lawson:

Julie Lawson is an accomplished pianist who earned her master's degree in piano performance from Cal State Northridge. She accompanied the Cal Arts Chorus and the College of the Canyons Festival Choir for five years before becoming the choral director at College of the Canyons in 1996. In the Fall of 1997, she formed the College of the Canyons Chamber Singers, and in the Fall of 1998, she started Les Chanteuses, her women's choir. Ms. Lawson has served as an Assistant Conductor for the First Presbyterian Church in Newhall and fills in on occasion as choral conductor at Cal Arts, Los Angeles Valley College, the Choral Society of Southern California, and the Zimriyah Chorale. She has worked extensively with Dr. Nick Strimple, a well-respected choral conductor and composer in the Los Angeles area. She is his accompanist for the Choral Society of Southern California; and toured through England and the Netherlands with the group in the Summer of 1999. She is also the pianist with the Zimriyah Chorale and completed a concert tour with them in Israel in 1998. Ms. Lawson has attended master classes in choral conducting with Rodney Eichenberger, Professor of Music at Florida State University, and with Michael Shani, conductor of the Tel Aviv Chamber Choir. She was recently appointed the Performing Arts Coordinator at College of the Canyons.