About
About Us
Who is Saratoga Voices?
Saratoga Voices Inc. 501(c)(3) is a not-for-profit corporation chartered in the State of New York, governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and a paid bookkeeper. Music is under the direction of our professional artistic director and assistant conductor. Members of the chorus are volunteers, augmented by paid soloists. Although we do not have a formal audition process, singers meet periodically with the director to determine vocal placement.Â
Mission Statement
Saratoga Voices embraces the choral arts within a vibrant, collaborative, and skill-nurturing environment, striving for excellence in choral performances, including diverse artists and audiences to share the joy and power of singing.
“If it involves singing, we love to do it”
Former Artistic Director, Saratoga Voices
Did You Know?
Choral singing brings a wide range of benefits, especially physical, psychological, emotional, and social. In America, over 42 million people sing in choirs. Each voice is unique, like a forensic voice print.
Our Story
Past
In 1970, Glenn E. Soellner, a dynamic music educator in the Burnt Hills/Ballston Lake school district, founded The Burnt Hills Oratorio Society. His vision was to gather talented singers and instrumentalists to perform the great choral master works, often referred to as Oratorios. The result was a vibrant choral organization that became known for its artistic excellence.
Present
In recent years, the Burnt Hills Oratorio Society, now Saratoga Voices, started to diversify its repertoire and broaden the definition of choral arts in the greater Capital Region. The organization not only found great joy in performing a variety of music, it also enjoyed a larger audience and greater following. It was operating at a higher level of artistic achievement and featuring guest artists with a national reputation.
New Name
The organization realized that the name Burnt Hills Oratorio Society no longer represented who they were. They were performing in various locations throughout the Capital District and their repertoire included a broad spectrum of music. It was time to change their name to something that was a better fit. Hence the name Saratoga Voices.
Future
Saratoga Voices is crafting a bold new vision into the 2020s to reflect its rich and diverse humanity. With the contribution of its many Voices, it will embrace new ways to share the power of singing. The vision is to reinvent the choral arts with innovative performance formats.
OUR VISION
Expand
Increase the choral arts repertoire to include musical theater, folk, gospel, a cappella, rock, and world premieres.
Innovate
Create state-of-the-art programming with audience participation, multimedia, and visual arts.
Educate
Provide an educational component with training, resources, and performance opportunities.
Cultivate
Nurture appreciation of and support for the choral arts regionally and nationally.
Nurture
Highlight the health and social benefits of singing in a large, diverse, and committed choral group.
Engage
Continue to grow as a vital part of the greater Saratoga region’s artistic and cultural life.
Mentor
Mentor school and university choral groups. Feature guest artists from young artist programs.
Collaborate
Work as partners with instrumentalists, dancers, and arts organizations to produce unique choral experiences.
