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The San José State University Choraliers are going places. In fact, they always are, both literally and figuratively. The renowned chamber choir tours internationally each summer and regularly takes home prizes and titles from those trips abroad.
The Choraliers will launch their annual summer tour with a European Farewell Concert on June 25 at the First United Methodist Church in Campbell.
Music lovers can get a preview of the programs that the Choraliers will be performing at concerts in Switzerland, Austria and Italy. Selections will include traditional chamber choir literature and spirituals.
The highlight of this year's tour will be the group's participation in the very prestigious Spittal International Competition for Choirs, to be held in Austria during the first week of July. Invitations to compete in this event are hard to come by, and the Choraliers are the only choral group from the United States to get on the guest list. The last time an American choir won the competition was in 1988—and perhaps not surprisingly, that choir was the Choraliers.
The 34-voice choir, led by director Dr. Charlene Archibeque, has taken home the top prizes in six major European competitions over the course of 14 international tours. In 1991, the group garnered the very apt title of "Choir of the World" at a highly respected choral contest in Wales.
However, audiences closer to home don't need a passport to hear this Choir of the World perform, even when the group is away on tour, because the Choraliers have recorded no fewer than seven albums that feature selections from the group's wide-ranging repertoire. Their most recent album is A Choraliers Christmas.
The San Jose State Choraliers perform June 25, 8 p.m. at the Campbell First United Methodist Church, 1675 Winchester Blvd., Campbell. Tickets are $10$15 ($25 reserved seating). For more information, call 408.924.4333.
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