Albany Pro Musica

High School Choral Festival

Presented by Albany Pro Musica
with Guest Conductor Elizabeth Eschen Cacciola

Saturday, February 1, 2025
Russell Sage College & the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
Festival Finale Concert: 6:00 PM

TICKETS TO THE FESTIVAL CONCERT WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR SALE TO THE PUBLIC ON DECEMBER 15.

We are thrilled host the 2025 Festival this year at Russell Sage College & the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. This season’s Festival brings exciting opportunities, challenging and interesting repertoire, and a world-class vocal educator as our guest conductor!

This year’s guest conductor is the former Resident Conductor of the Radcliffe Choral Society and Director of the Holden Voice Program at Harvard University, Elizabeth (Liz) Eschen Cacciola. As a mezzo-soprano, Liz’s singing career spans everything from new music (Lorelei Ensemble founding member) to opera (Boston Lyric Opera’s 2016 Carmen) to musical theatre (Ensemble in the 2016 Studio Cast Album of Hunchback of Notre Dame), and she finds herself now enjoying a career in choral music and solo oratorio. Liz works with students of all ages and meets them wherever they are on their musical journey. Her students have earned entrance into top voice programs and Honors choirs across the country, and perhaps more importantly, have been inspired to make singing an integral part of their lives. Liz has chosen an exciting program of music for this festival, which will be announced to singers in December.

Honor Choir
The Festival Honor Choir is an auditioned chamber group of 24 students who prepare a special piece to perform as a featured group during the concert. Students will participate in a pre-Festival rehearsal at University at Albany with Dr. José Daniel Flores-Caraballo. The Honor Choir singers will also receive a special invitation to participate in the Pro Musica International Choral Festival at University at Albany from July 13-19, 2025.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

  1. Each student must fill out the online application form and submit by Friday, November 1, 2024.
  2. High School Directors must submit a recommendation form for students who plan to audition for the Festival Honor Choir by Monday, November 18, 2024.
  3. Students applying for the Honor Choir must attend auditions on Thursday, November 21, 2024.
  4. Application review will take place in November. During this time, teachers may be contacted for additional input. Please be sure to check your email for communication from Albany Pro Musica. Students will be notified by Wednesday, November 27, 2024 about whether they have been accepted or placed on our waiting list.
  5. Accepted students will receive access to their digital music & learning tracks by December 9, 2024.

We look forward to reviewing your students’ applications, and to making music with you and your students this year. Save the date now for Albany Pro Musica’s High School Choral Festival on Saturday, February 1, 2025!

Any questions? Contact us!
SooYeon Justesen
Education@albanypromusica.org 
APM Manager of Educational Programs

Watch WMHT’s AHA! segment about our 2023 festival to learn more!