Sing With Charlotte Choir School

Discover Charlotte Choir School, our city’s premier

choral program for children and youth.

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Collaborators

Do you or a child you

know love to sing?

Charlotte Choir School is an auditioned community choral program for children and youth offering accessible and rigorous music education and performance opportunities to talented boys, girls, and young men and women from every background and every corner of the Charlotte region.

Study, rehearse, and perform with expert, experienced musicians in the heart of Charlotte.
Our talented staff help Charlotte’s young people learn sight reading, vocal and language skills, music theory, and performance skills. Choristers in our leading children’s choir learn to be confident, independent, organized, diligent, kind, ready to be a team player, and ready to lead, all skills that help them succeed in school, with friends, and in life!
Accessibility is a foundational pillar of Charlotte Choir School’s music education program.
We recruit talented young singers from all over the region, reflecting the socioeconomic, geographic, and religious diversity of the Charlotte area. Choristers who audition successfully for our tuition-free children’s choir are admitted regardless of their ability to contribute financially.
We perform in awesome places — both in our community, around the East coast and beyond!
Recent tours have taken our choirs from Charlotte to Philadelphia, Cleveland, Buffalo, Washington, D.C., and around the East coast. Every four years, our teenage choir, The MasterSingers, serves in residence at an English cathedral, most recently in 2019 at Durham Cathedral. This is something you won’t find in other Charlotte children’s choirs.
Historic choir school

Auditions are ongoing!

Auditions for the 2024-2025 season as ongoing throughout the year. Fill out the form below and we will be in touch shortly.
For any further inquiries, contact Associate Director Andrew Pester at apester@charlottechoirschool.org.
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Register for Open House
Young children in a choir singing
Our Choirs

Five choral programs offering rigorous music education and performance opportunities to talented young people from every walk of life.

Charlotte Choir School is a nonprofit, non-religious choral program for children and youth that offers music education and choral performance opportunities to talented young men and women from across the Charlotte region. Originally conceived as a boys choir in the classic English tradition, the school has grown to include five distinct choirs whose members range in age from seven to eighteen, in residence at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Uptown Charlotte.

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THE TOWN CHOIRS
Young choristers typically begin with Charlotte Choir School as members of the Town Choirs, our two training-level children’s choirs for boys and girls who enjoy singing. In the Town Choir, choristers begin to develop music and vocal skills, meeting weekly to rehearse, study music theory, and practice performance technique. In addition to musicianship, Town Choir members develop important skills like teamwork and self-discipline as they work together to create one voice from many voices.

The Boys Town Choir meets regularly on Tuesdays during the school year from 6:30 to 7:30 for rehearsal and music theory instruction.

The Girls Town Choir meets regularly on Mondays during the school year from 6:30 to 7:30 for rehearsal and music theory instruction.

The Town Choirs are directed by Emily Mason.

THE TOUR CHOIRS
Choristers who have completed level one of our music theory curriculum and demonstrated musical growth and commitment are invited to audition for our acclaimed children’s choir, the Tour Choirs. As members of the Tour Choir, choristers are expected to attend all rehearsals and performances and to meet all the responsibilities of membership in an advanced choral ensemble.

In the Tour Choirs, older choristers begin to master advanced vocal skills, music theory, and performance. They study traditional, sacred, and contemporary music and learn to achieve excellence as they practice, prepare, and perform together. Members of the Tour Choirs lead worship and perform in concert at St. Peter’s and throughout the community, as well as on the school’s annual summer tour.

The Boys Tour Choir meets regularly on Tuesdays during the school year, beginning with Music Theory class at 5:15 and continuing with rehearsal from 6:00 to 7:30.

The Girls Tour Choir meets regularly on Mondays during the school year, beginning with Music Theory class at 5:15 and continuing with rehearsal from 6:00 to 7:30.

Additional Friday rehearsals for both Tour Choirs are scheduled throughout the season to give members the opportunity to rehearse with other choirs in preparation for concerts.

The Tour Choirs are under the direction of Charlotte Choir School’s Artistic Director Elizabeth Lenti.

THE MASTERSINGERS
The MasterSingers are a mixed-voice ensemble made up of talented teenagers from across the region. In order to successfully enter the Mastersingers, a young person must have advanced knowledge of music theory and the ability to sight sing. MasterSingers meet weekly to refine and expand their music education, performance skills, and to prepare a broad repertoire. They learn advanced oral and sight singing skills, master complex material, and expand their knowledge of music history. Members of the MasterSingers ensemble must show a very high level of commitment and maturity, attending all rehearsals and performances and preparing extensively outside of class. MasterSingers serve as mentors and role models for students in Charlotte Choir School’s Tour and Town Choirs.

The MasterSingers perform for a wide variety of audiences, lead worship services, and travel each summer to perform in the United States or abroad. The MasterSingers program often provides the foundation of undergraduate and graduate studies in performance, conducting, or music education.

The MasterSingers meet regularly during the school year on Thursdays from 5:00 – 6:30. Additional Friday rehearsals are also scheduled throughout the year in preparation for concerts and performances.

The MasterSingers are under the direction of Charlotte Choir School Artistic Director Elizabeth Lenti.

Our Curriculum

A Charlotte Choir School experience is defined by our rigorous music education program.

As choristers pass through the Charlotte Choir School, they’re advancing through a six-level music education program that teaches the fundamentals of how to read music, music theory, rhythm, and sight-singing, the ability to put that knowledge into practice. Each level is accompanied by a workbook produced by Charlotte Choir School that documents the chorister’s progress through mastery exercises.

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Choristers must pass level one before their Tour Choirs audition, and level four mastery is required before joining The MasterSingers.

The curriculum includes important non-musical tasks, too. Young boys must learn how to tie their neckties, and on tour, all choristers learn how to write thank you notes to our hosts with correct spelling and good handwriting.

OUR RIBBONS

At the end of each season, choristers are recognized for their accomplishments and receive a ribbon indicating their level of achievement and a handmade silver medal; these are worn with Charlotte Choir School’s formal choral vestments.

Our Alumni

More than 900 choristers have studied at Charlotte Choir School, Charlotte’s acclaimed children’s choir.

Through nearly 30 seasons, Charlotte Choir School has touched the lives of more than 900 choristers. Our choristers have gone on to varied careers in music, studying in conservatories and top university programs. They’re professional musicians in opera companies, churches, and on Broadway, and some become music educators themselves. They do this on the back of a robust music education that teaches so much more than music. Our alumni are executives, small business owners, military service-members, physicians, researchers, and even Choir School parents.

Our History

Our long history of excellence informs our present and future.

Charlotte Choir School can trace its history back more than a century to the first Boys Choir at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, established 1894. We remain in residence at St. Peter’s today.

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The contemporary children’s choir was founded in September 1993 as a boys choir in the English choral tradition. Distinct from the church’s music program, The Boys Choir was an auditioned community choir open to talented young boys from across Charlotte.

In 1998, The Girls Choir was founded, with demand from our boys’ sisters. Also in our first decade, we established our training choirs, The Town Choirs, so young children could begin their musical journey in our program. In 2003, teenage alumni expressed interest in continuing to sing at Charlotte Choir School and The MasterSingers inaugural class was formed.

Formerly known as The Choir School at St. Peter’s, Charlotte Choir School adopted its current name in July 2021 to better reflect its commitment as a steward of Charlotte’s cultural life.

OUR FOUNDERS
Charlotte Choir School was founded by Ben Outen, Kay Johnson, and Trissy Lomax in September 1993.

Ben Outen was Organist and Choirmaster of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church and led Charlotte Choir School as Artistic Director from 1993 to 2017. Kay Johnson served in many roles at The Choir School from its founding to her retirement as Director of Program and Finance in 2020

.In 2017, Charlotte Choir School appointed Elizabeth Lenti as the organization’s second Artistic Director.

You Must Have Questions

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