Lehigh University Choral Arts’ Plans for Fall 2021
We are pleased to announce that beginning this Fall semester, LUCA will resume in-person rehearsals and performances. We are currently planning for our first concert back, Choral Arts Live! which will take place on October 23rd and 24th. We are also looking forward to hosting our annual Vesper’s concert again on December 5th in the Packer Chapel. In addition, we will be going on tour this Winter from January 12th to 18th to Puerto Rico!
If you are a Lehigh student interested in joining one of our ensembles, please contact our recruitment manager Wendy Xu (zhx222@lehigh.edu) for more information and to set up an audition. If you are curious about how the audition process works, you can read more about how it has worked in the past here. If you are a non-student community member interested in joining Choral Union, please contact Charis Lasky (charislucu@comcast.net) for more information on how to join.
Please watch or listen to some of our latest releases from the 2020-2021 season or explore some of our past performances!
Reflections By Alumni
ELLIE (WOODS) KAHLE (’11)
“Choral Arts gave my Lehigh career purpose and an outlet to express myself surrounded by an amazing community. It was my home and safe place.” read more
JOHN COLE (’82)
My dear friend and fellow Lehigh Choir alum, Karen (Lindquist) Randall, ’83, once told me, “I think when you sing with people, you form a bond with them that is unique. A choir is different from your normal circle of friends or other groups you form based on many shared similarities. It’s a more diverse group, drawn together by a single, mutual interest. It’s the love of music that matters, at least at first. Then, as you join voices, something mystical happens. The thrill of creating something of beauty together forges that bond and leads to a realization: the differences between people you thought were there really aren’t there at all. You become a better person. Making music has a powerful effect.” I couldn’t agree more. I’ve heard similar sentiments from other musicians, and I know it’s true for me. read more
WHO WE ARE
Lehigh University Choral Arts boasts a choral tradition dating back to the 1870s. The Choir was first formed by director Robert “Boss” Cutler in 1979, taking the all-male Glee Club and all-female Chamber Singers (under the direction of Jerry Bidlack) and combining them into a single group.
Under the tutelage of Dr. Steven Sametz, the Choir has grown to over 70 students from across all undergraduate colleges, majors and disciplines. The LUCA family currently includes the Choral Union; the Choir; the men’s Glee Club; and Dolce, the women’s ensemble. Choral Union, the largest ensemble with 150 singers, includes members of the University and Lehigh Valley communities.
LUCA travels to exotic locations on our bi-annual tours, such as Hawaii (2013), Costa Rica (2011), Portugal (2009), China (2007), Northern Italy (2015), and Spain (2017). In the summer of 2019 we toured in Hungary and Austria!
The program is directed by Steven Sametz, Ronald J. Ulrich Professor of Music, and Sun Min Lee, Robert Cutler Professor of Practice and director of Dolce.