Choral Music

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Dr. Holly Zagaria, Director of Music

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.

Ms. Gina Picerno

Gina Picerno is the Director of the Choral Fellows and Scholars Program.

Ms. Picerno studied at New England Conservatory in Boston receiving a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance. She has been involved in performing sacred music in churches throughout Rhode Island and Massachesetts from a young age, working with many renowned directors and organists. She was a member of the Rhode Island Civic Chorale, and as also appeared in opera performances with Artist’s Internationale in Rhode Island and in musical theatre productions at Giordano’s Dinner Theatre in Massachesetts.

Ms. Picerno has attended the McClosky Institute for Voice and continues to study vocal technique. She has been singing and coaching the choir in vocal technique at First Baptist Church for over 20 years as well as teaching piano and voice privately. Ms. Picerno also holds a Masters of Education in Early Childhood from Lesley University and teaches at The Centre School in Milton, where she has implemented a music curriculum for toddler and preschool age children.

She has studied voice with Susan Clickner and Bonnie Pomfret. She has sung under the direction of and in collaboration with Lorna Cooke DeVaron, Donald Polumbo, Ronald Morris, and Alexander Peloquin.

Monica Rajan, 2022-2023 Soprano Fellow

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.

Juliette Kaoudji, 2022-2023 Alto Fellow

Mezzo-Soprano Juliette Kaoudji’s most recent performances were at the New England Conservatory Blackbox Theatre as Dido and Aeneas as Dido by Henry Purcell and as Maman and Pâtre in L'Enfant et les sortilèges by Maurice Ravel. In fall of 2021, she performed in the modern opera, Svadba as Nada by Ana Sokolovic and the NEC movie production of The Dialogue of the Carmelites as Mere Jeune. She played the title role of Mayrik in the 2019 premier of Role Playing Game by NEC alumni Jacob Schulman.

She oversaw 2 productions of 4 opera scenes at the Soldiers Home in Chelsea and NEC sponsored by a grant awarded by the Entrepreneurial Musicianship department. This Boston Arts Academy alumni received her Bachelors in Music 2020 and Masters in Music 2022 from NEC. She will begin NEC’s Graduate Diploma program this fall under the instruction of her voice teacher Ms. Carole Haber.

William D. Aldenberg, 2022-2023 Tenor Fellow

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.

Choral Fellows & Choral Scholars

Full Program Details

The First Baptist Church of Medford, with generous support from the Boston Baptist Social Union, is delighted to announce the third 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:

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

The program will be in person with adherence to Covid-19 protocols when advised.

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 two Choral Scholars 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 (8) 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 at least twice a month from their assigned Choral Fellow and from the CFS Director, Ms. Gina Picerno.

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 for Fellows and a minimum of 20 services for Scholars 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 $5100. Roughly, this breaks down to:
$70 X 42 mandatory events = $2940

$45 X18 mandatory rehearsals =$810
$50 X 27 lessons (3 per month, 9 months) = $1350

The Choral Scholars will receive 1-to-1 lessons, 1-to-2 lessons, and group coaching valued at over $1500 in kind. In addition, they will receive a yearly stipend of $200 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 2 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