Fall Cougar Choral Festival - University of Houston
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2024 Fall Cougar Choral Festival

September 6-7, 2024

Join us for the inaugural Fall Cougar Choral Festival at the University of Houston, Moores School of Music. Open to students in grades 9-12, this event offers a chance to work with UH choral faculty while singing alongside University of Houston students. Participating teachers will also have the opportunity to enhance their skills with two free professional development sessions led by Dr. DeSpain and Professor Koppel.

No preparation is needed— all music will be learned on site! The festival will conclude with a free concert at the beautiful Moores Opera House. 

Fall Cougar Choral Festival Faculty:
Dr. Kaitlin DeSpain
Alex Koppel

Choir directors, CLICK HERE to register.

  • About the Festival

    Date: 
    Friday & Saturday, September 6-7, 2024

     

    Time:
    Friday: 6 pm - 9 pm; Saturday: 9 am - 4 pm;
    Saturday: 4 pm Concert in Moores Opera House (free and open to the public)

     

    Location:
    University of Houston, Moores School of Music
    3333 Cullen Blvd, Houston, TX 77204  

     

    Tuition fee:
    $74 (inlcludes participation for 4 students and a teacher)  
     

    Moores School of Music will be accepting applications until August 24, 2024

    For other inquiries, please email CAA@uh.edu or call 713.743.3398.  

  • Teacher Professional Development

    Included for all teachers with a registered quartet.

    We are excited to offer two professional development opportunities tailored for high school choral directors. The first session will focus on repertoire selection, providing practical tips for designing programs and discovering new and classic pieces for choirs of all levels and voicings. The second session is a gesture refresher, where teachers can refine their conducting techniques to enhance clarity and communication with their choirs.

    Participants are eligible for 10 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) clock hours.

  • Registration, Tuition, What to Bring

    Registration:

    The University of Houston Fall Cougar Choral Festival is open to all students entering grades 9-12 in the fall of 2024. Schools are expected to sign up students in complete mixed quartets. If you have additional students you'd like to sign up and cannot complete a quartet, please email kedespain@uh.edu. We cannot guarantee admission for incomplete quartets, but are happy to add you to a wait list.

    Teachers should complete the registration form for each mixed quartet. You may bring more than one mixed quartet, but please fill out a separate registration form for each quartet. 

    Choir Directors, REGISTER HERE

     

    Tuition:

    $74 for each mixed quartet (equal to $18 per student). This fee includes cost of attendance, event t-shirt for students, and lunch for students and teachers on Saturday. A link to pay online will be provided in your registration confirmation email.

    What to Bring:

    1. Music: please bring your scores, either in hard copy (hole punched in a black three ring binder) or on a tablet (must have a black case). Please see the repertoire list below. UH will not provide scores.
      1. UH does have some extra copies of these scores, so if you experience problems acquiring music please contact kedespain@uh.edu (first come, first served). No advanced preparation is required; we will learn all music on site.
        1. SATB Dixit Maria- Hans Leo Hassler. We will use this score on CPDL
        2. SSA: Nigra Sum- Pablo Casals
        3. TBB: Ad Astra- Jacob Narverud
        4. SATB Indodana- arr. Michael Barrett
        5. SATB I’ll Be on My Way- Shawn Kirchner
    2. Pencil or stylus
    3. Water in a container with a spill proof lid.
    4. Attire: Concert attire will consist of jeans (no holes), closed toe shoes, and the festival t-shirt (provided at check-in on Friday night). Dress for rehearsals is casual but should be comfortable and allow for full range of motion. We suggest bringing a light jacket or sweater as some rehearsal areas can be cold.
  • Schedule

    Friday, September 6

    5:00-5:45 pm  Check-in in MSM lobby
    6:00-8:00 pm  Sectionals
     Teache PD Session 1: 7:00-8:00 pm
    8:00-9:00 pm  Group rehearsal

    Saturday, September 7

    8:00-8:45 am  Check-in MSM lobby
    9:00 am-12:00 pm   Group rehearsal on Moores Opera House stage
     Teacher PD Session 2: 10:00-11:00 am
    12:00-1:00 pm  Lunch (provided)
    1:00-3:30 pm  Dress rehearsal on stage (in concert dress)
    4:00 pm  Concert in Moores Opera House (free and open to the public)

     

Featured instructors 

Registration Information

 

Choir Directors, Register HERE

Date:  Friday & Saturday, September 6-7, 2024
Time: Friday 6 pm - 9 pm, Saturday 9 am - 4 pm;
          Saturday 4 pm Concert in Moores Opera House (free and open to the public)
Location: University of Houston, Moores School of Music
3333 Cullen Blvd, Houston, TX 77204  
Tuition fee: $74 

Registration deadline is August 24th, 2024 at 5:00 PM. 
Lunch is included in registration fee. 

We will provide drop-off and pick-up locations at the Moores School of Music. Guest parking is also available for an additional fee. 

Moores School of Music will be accepting registrations until August 24, 2024.

For other inquiries, please email CAA@uh.edu or call 713.743.3398.  
 
view from behind a violinist