Choral Fellows & Scholars Program @FBC

The First Baptist Church of Medford, with generous support from the Boston Baptist Social Union, is proud to announce the 2023-2024 Season of the Choral Fellows and Scholars Program. 

CLICK HERE for full details about the program!

Dr. Holly Zagaria serves as a singer (Mezzo-Soprano), pianist, organist, music director, adjudicator, clinician, educator, and vocal pedagogue, and performs regularly in all capacities.  

Holly is grateful to have been a student of former FBC Director of Music, Miss Eleanor Babikian, who introduced Holly to madrigal singing at Wakefield High School in the 1980s.  Early Music is Holly's first love in singing, and the influence of "Miss B" has played no small role in her musical life.  Miss Babikian played a recital for Holly in her senior year, and anyone interested in hearing Miss Babikian play again can watch the VHS tape!   Holly could not be more delighted to be serving as a music minister at the First Baptist Church!   She received a full scholarship for her undergraduate degree in Music Performance (Voice) from the University of New Hampshire, and earned her M.M. (Master of Music) and D.M.A. (Doctorate of Musical Arts) from Boston University.  She teaches Voice, Fundamentals of Theory, Ear Training, and Opera Ensemble at Salem State University, and has taught Introduction to Music in previous semesters.  Dr. Zagaria joined the Voice Faculty at Gordon College in September, 2019 and has also served on the faculties of Suffolk University, Emerson College, University of Massachusetts/Boston and New England Conservatory/DCE. 

Soprano Monica Rajan is is enjoying a widely varied career as a multi-faceted musician. Since moving to Boston, Monica has performed with several notable companies in the area including Boston Camerata, Emmanuel Music and was an inaugural member of Boston Opera Collaborative’s Artist Training program. On the concert stage, Rajan has been seen as the soprano soloist in Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Schubert’s Mass in G, Saint-Saëns’s Oratorio de Noël, Handel’s Messiah, and Mozart’s Regina Coeli. Monica holds degrees from The Catholic University of America and Longy School of Music of Bard College. When she’s not in a practice room, Monica likes to bike and explore Boston.

William D. Aldenberg, tenor, is a graduate student at Longy School of Music of Bard College, where he is pursuing his Master of Music in Vocal Studies as a student of Dr. Tyler Reece. Will graduated in May 2022 from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Music History. Both a singer and conductor, Will spent a portion of the summer of 2022 in Sarteano, Italy where he studied conducting under Dr. Tony Thornton and Simon Carrington. At UConn, Will was a frequent performer in the UConn Voice & Opera area, singing in Songfests and Colombo Singer Showcases, as well as the choruses for productions of She Loves Me, Dido and Aeneas, and Orfeo ed Eurydice. In 2019, William performed throughout the Alsace region of France as a part of UConn Music Study Abroad in Strasbourg. He also sang tenor in the UConn Collegium Musicum, Concert Choir, and Glee Club.

The First Baptist Church of Medford, with generous support from the Boston Baptist Social Union, is delighted to announce the fourth season of the Choral Fellows and Scholars Program. This program is designed to promote appreciation and love for traditional sacred music and to cultivate a new generation of outstanding choir leaders in service to the Church

The CFS Program supports the integral work of the parish choir, and at its core it has two components:

1. Intensive one-to-one technical training in musicianship, vocal production, diction, musical interpretation, and the range of traditional liturgical music.
2. Regular implementation of the technical training in a live lab of singers; namely, the church choir.

APPLY NOW: https://forms.gle/Jn8jyYciw2jMitMfA

ROLLING ADMISSION WITH AUDITIONS HELD IN PERSON and  ONLINE 

The (4) Choral Fellows are on analogy to what some choirs have called “soloists,” “section leaders,” or “ringers” with a decidedly educational focus. Each Choral Fellow will be offered a CF Stipend, and will be assigned a Choral Scholar to mentor in the choir, and to whom they will give three 1-hour voice lessons per month for the duration of the program.  Choral Fellows that are not teaching scholars will support the music program by assisting the music director or music librarian equivalent to 3 teaching hours per month.  Fellows may also be called upon to assist with choir warm ups, sectional rehearsals or short demonstrations/explanations of vocal technique during rehearsals.

The ideal candidates would be advanced conservatory/music students or graduates, who, in addition to having demonstrated technical skills, also have interest in developing their skills as teachers and vocal coaches. They will be chosen according to their voice range: high (soprano/alto) or low (tenor/bass/baritone).

The (4) Choral Scholars might be called “soloists-in-training.” The Choral Scholars will be offered a modest CS Stipend to defray incidental expenses, and in return for their service to the choir will receive private voice instruction 3 times a month from their assigned Choral Fellow.

Anyone 16 years old to retiree  who wishes to receive high quality vocal training and to immerse themselves in the literature of traditional choral music can be a Choral Scholar. They will be chosen according to their voice range: high (soprano/alto) or low (tenor/bass/baritone).

The Choral Fellows and Scholars will also provide support and encouragement to the volunteers in the church choir through their regular participation in this “live-lab” of singers.

SCHEDULE  

The program year roughly follows the Academic Year and runs from the 2nd Sunday of September to the 1st Sunday of June. This entails approximately 42 services/performances and 27 rehearsals for Fellows. Scholars are required to attend 25 services/performances and 27 rehearsals for a whole program year. However Scholars can apply for either the Fall semester (September – December) or the Spring semester (January – June). Approval of the Sundays/services to be missed must be granted by director of the CFS program, Ms. Gina Picerno.

STIPENDS

The Choral Fellows will receive a yearly stipend of $6180. Roughly, this breaks down to:
$70 X 42 mandatory events = $2940

$70 X 27  mandatory rehearsals =$1890
$50 X 27 lessons (3 per month, 9 months) = $1350

The Choral Scholars will receive 3 private lessons a month, valued at over $1500 in kind. In addition, they will receive a yearly stipend of $500 to defray costs of travel, sheet music, and other expenses.

REHEARSALS AND EXPECTATIONS

Under normal circumstances the Choir rehearses twice a week: Thursdays, 7:30–9:00PM

Sundays, 10:00–10:30AM

Fellows and Scholars are required to attend 3 Thursday night rehearsals a month as well as the Sunday morning rehearsals when scheduled to sing.

Approval of the rehearsals to be missed must be granted by director of the CFS program, Ms. Gina Picerno.

ZOOM AUDITION REQUIREMENTS

 Fellow Requirements-  A video of a prepared song and an aria in the classical style

                                               Zoom based sight-singing to include a hymn
                                              Vocalizations at the discretion of the audition panel

Scholar Requirements - A video of a prepared song or hymn

                                                Vocalizations at the discretion of the audition panel 

IN PERSON AUDITION REQUIREMENTS

 Fellow Requirements-  Please bring sheet music of a prepared song,and an aria in

                                                the classical style

                                               Sight-singing to include a hymn
                                              Vocalizations at the discretion of the audition panel

Scholar Requirements - Please bring sheet music of a prepared song or hymn

                                                 Vocalizations at the discretion of the audition panel 

APPLY NOW: https://forms.gle/Jn8jyYciw2jMitMfA