The Chorale's Inaugural International Tour to Toronto

With your help, our voices will soar! 

Together in Song, Together in Toronto

Thank you for supporting our journey to Toronto! This will be the Cornell University Chorale’s first international tour since 1969, and we’re excited to make history together. We appreciate any amount you can donate; your support helps this ensemble continue to grow. Thank you for making our Toronto tour a reality! Please feel free to reach out with any questions.

Harmony in Motion: Support Cornell Chorale Toronto Tour

We are the Cornell University Chorale, an all-voices community choir. Our mission is "the practice and performance of choral music for all voices with no restriction on experience or knowledge." Today, we are an ensemble of 120 singers, the largest musical ensemble on campus after the marching band! Learn more about our singers and our mission. 

We are raising funds to support the Cornell Chorale’s first international tour to Toronto in January 2025. These funds will help cover essential costs such as hotel accommodations, transportation, meals, and venue rentals. The tour will provide an opportunity for musical growth, fostering stronger connections among Chorale members through shared experiences and collaboration.

During this trip, the Cornell Chorale will partner with two local choirs: Trinity St. Paul’s United Church Choir and the University of Toronto MacMillan Singers. This collaboration will allow our singers to engage in a meaningful musical exchange, learning from other talented ensembles while showcasing the diversity of our own repertoire. Our concert program will feature music by composers from the U.S., France, Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, and more, reflecting our commitment to cross-cultural understanding through music.

Date: January 25-26, 2025

Venue: Trinity St. Paul’s United Church

Performer: Conductor/ Dr. Yen-Hsiang Nieh, Pianist/ Dr. Vera Hui-pin Hsu

                   Cornell University Chorale 

Collaborative Choirs: Trinity St. Paul’s United Church Choir, Conductor/ Deborah Park

                                     University of Toronto MacMillan Singers, Conductor/ Dr. Jamie Hillman

History of the Chorale

The Cornell University Chorale was first premiered in 1969 by the then-Director of Choral Music, Thomas A. Sokol (1929-2019) as the Cornell Chamber Singers, a small, selective group of singers which Sokol envisioned to join together students, faculty, and the wider community. Throughout the 1970s, the Chamber Singers grew in number and skill, performing with the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, and other groups on- and off-campus. By the early 70s, the Chamber Singers began calling themselves by a new moniker, the “Cornell Chorale” for larger performances. As their membership grew through the decade, they were permanently called “The Cornell Chorale.” 

After Sokol retired in 1995, the Chorale transitioned from a highly selective group chosen by “rigorous audition” to a more informal and relaxed group focused on bringing music into the lives of the Cornell community. The Chorale continues to provide a venue for singers to develop their skills in choral musicianship and ensemble singing. Since 2004, students have had the option of receiving course credit for participation. In 2024, the Chorale was registered as a student organization with the university. It continues in its mission as a community united in music.

Chorale Leadership

We are led by Dr. Yen-Hsiang Nieh, DMA, the Assistant Director of Choral Music and a Lecturer at the Cornell University Department of Music. He serves as the Director of the Cornell University Chorale and Assistant Director of the Cornell Glee Club and Chorus. Learn more here. 

      Executive Board:

           President: Pranav Shankar (Mechanical Engineering, '27)

           Vice President: Cougar Hashikura (Computer Science, '27)

           Treasurer: Amy Wang (Computer Science, '27)

           Secretary: Josiah Kam (Economics, '27)

Singing Our Story, Building Our Legacy

Since Dr. Nieh joined Cornell as the conductor of the Chorale in 2023 Fall, we have held two remarkable concerts with about 65 singers: "Joyful Spirit" in fall 2023 and "Aspects of Love" in spring 2024. Both concerts received enthusiastic feedback from the packed audiences in Sage Chapel. In these performances, the Cornell Chorale presented a diverse program, featuring international choral compositions and showcasing songs in at least eight different languages at each concert. 

The Chorale's first concert with Dr. Nieh in fall 2023, with the singers and audience

 Empowering Voices, Embracing Diversity

In March 2024, the Cornell Chorale hosted an international exchange concert with the indigenous Nibun Chorus from Taiwan. We warmly welcomed them and were deeply moved by their traditional singing, dedicated to preserving their heritage. The event featured a workshop, concert, and reception. During the day, the Nibun Chorus surprised the campus with a flash mob performance in Morrison Dining Hall. At the concert’s finale, they led the audience in singing and dancing to a traditional tribal melody, creating an unforgettable experience that built bridges through music for everyone involved.

                                  

 

 

 2024 Fall Concert: Moonlit Reverie

As the Cornell Chorale prepares for our upcoming tour to Toronto, we invite you to join us for our fall concert, where we’ll present the repertoire we’ll be performing in Canada next January. We’re excited to share this program with our campus community and to showcase our passion for choral music. Concert details are below:

           This fall, the Chorale’s concert explores the theme of "Longing"—a universal yearning for faith, hope, love, growth, and freedom. Life is a journey toward various aspirations, and it is through this pursuit that we find meaning and vitality. Our program features works by composers from Australia, France, Italy, the United States, Canada, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and Taiwan. Through our voices, we hope to inspire a sense of purpose and evoke the inner strength that drives us all.

Date: November 24, 2024, 3 p.m., Sage Chapel

Conductor: Dr. Yen-Hsiang Nieh

Collaborative Pianist: Dr. Vera Hui-pin Hsu