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The Drake Choir, a select ensemble of 80 students, tours regionally on an annual basis and internationally every four years. The choir has sung in major venues in Europe, has performed in New York in both Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center, and frequently collaborates with the Des Moines Symphony. In May 2019, the choir will tour Italy, France, and Austria.
The Chamber Choir, consisting of 30 singers chosen from the Drake Choir, presents numerous on and off-campus performances each year. The choir tours internationally every four years and, in January 2018, sang in England, performing in London at St. Paul's Cathedral and St. Martin in the Fields, the cathedrals of Coventry and Ely, and at Cambridge University.
The Drake Chorale, a select women's chorus, presents four on-campus performances per year and, like the Drake Choir, has collaborated with the Des Moines Symphony.
The Drake University/Community Chorus, a non-select ensemble, is open to students, faculty, staff and community members and performs twice a year.
Special Projects and Collaborations The Drake choruses offer frequent opportunities for collaboration with other musicians, as well as participation in comprehensive learning projects that take both singers and audiences deeper into exploration of important topics.
New Director of Choral Studies
We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Eric Barnum will become Drake's Director of Choral Studies beginning in fall 2019. Dr. Barnum is currently on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where he serves as Director of Choral Music. He earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in composition and vocal performance at Bemidji State University (MN-2002), a master's degree in choral conducting at Minnesota State University, Mankato (2004), and a doctorate in choral conducting at the University of Washington (2013). He is a well-known composer and has written numerous commissions for ensembles both in the United States and abroad. As a composer/conductor, he has served as an artist-in-residence with notable ensembles, including Choral Arts (Seattle), The Rose Ensemble (Minneapolis), Kantori (Denver), Magnum Chorum (Minneapolis) and Coro Vocal Artists (Tucson). Dr. Barnum has a deep desire to create profound and moving performances in all eras and styles and we have no doubt that he will envision and bring to life an exciting new era in Drake choral music.
More about Dr. Barnum here: http://www.ericwilliambarnum.com/home-1/
Enjoy his beautiful composition, Dawn.
Finally, you might be interested in his podcast, with Richard Robbins, The Choral Contrarians
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