Lafayette College is a four-year liberal arts college with commitment to the arts. Conducted by Dr. Jennifer Kelly and accompanied by Pat O’Connell, the Lafayette Concert Choir is open to every student who loves to sing, be a part of a team, and wants to make great music. Whether you have lots of choral experience or none at all, this is the chorus for you! Chamber Singers is a vocal ensemble auditioned from the members of Concert Choir. Both of our choirs are comprised of majors from numerous academic disciplines with varying degrees of choral experience.
Lafayette Choirs is a safe space, a brave space, and an inclusive space for all participants and audience. Choir belongs to everyone who participates in it, and you are welcome here as your full self! All music for voice is celebrated here. We acknowledge that the history and tradition of choral music is a structurally inherited unequal field supporting a small majority demographic of gender, race, faith, socioeconomic class, and identity. While this is choral music’s past, the field is evolving in necessary and positive ways! Lafayette Choirs joins others as we overhaul the field’s exclusive traditions and knowledge and continually work toward a more diverse, equitable, accessible, and inclusive space. As part of this work, we are committed to present underrepresented voices in the field. That commitment is reflected in our chosen music, the way that we learn and study our music, and in our sharing of this music with audiences.
“As an Electrical and Computer Engineer, I am focused on classes within my discipline. So for me, having the option to be in a choir is fantastic. It truly embodies the Lafayette ideal of having a well-rounded curriculum, as well as expanding my experiences culturally, singing music from Africa to Japan. I can honestly say that I most look forward to days of the week when I get to sing.”
~ Jacob “Choir isn’t about learning a few pieces for a concert each semester; it’s about learning how to perform, understanding the various texts and backgrounds of the music, combining that with singing skills learned in class, and knowledge of the body as an instrument to gain life-long expertise. We sing, we learn, and we have a ton of fun doing it.”
~ Shannon “Joining choir has been one of the best decisions I made at Lafayette. I have not only greatly expanded my musicality, but a good portion of my personal development as a leader and a contributor can be credited to the Lafayette Choir as well. As Section Leader, I have valued the communicative aspects of the program, between conductor and students and amongst the students themselves. I am so thankful for the experience.”
~ Daniel “If there is one thing I could suggest to anyone attending Lafayette College it would be to join the choir program. Never underestimate the power of the voice.”
~ Justin