Posted: May 3, 2018Written by: Lauren Milbourne

Tags: 2018, featured, press release

Cuesta College’s top student choirs, the Chamber Singers and Vocé, will represent the United States at two festivals in France this summer. The groups are the only choirs from the United States invited to attend the 23rd Annual Festival International en Provence and Festival Choral en Aveyron, and Cuesta College is the only college performing at both.

“In most of the world, the high schools, colleges, and universities don’t have choirs like we do here in the United States. Instead, they perform in community ‘clubs,’” said Cuesta College Performing Arts Division Chair and Director of Vocal Ensembles John Knutson. “Therefore, there are actually no other college groups performing at these festivals. In addition, we are the only choir from the United States asked to perform. I am extremely proud of our two groups and the exceptional talent of the students.”

The festivals will also feature choirs from Canada, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Italy, Indonesia, Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Belgium, Sweden, Argentina, and the Netherlands. According to Knutson, the Cuesta College choir groups qualified to perform 10 concerts at the festivals after submitting audio and video performance samples to the festival organizers.

On May 11, the Chamber Singers and Vocé will hold a Europe Send-Off Concert from 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. at St. Timothy’s Church in Morro Bay. The concert will allow the public a chance to hear the a cappella pieces that will be performed in France, and serve as a fundraiser for the student performers. All proceeds will go to fund travel expenses. Tickets are available at tickets.cuesta.edu and cost $15 for general admission; $10 for students and seniors. To donate directly to the choirs, call the Cuesta College Foundation at (805) 546-3279.

The Cuesta Chamber Singers, Cuesta College’s premier choral ensemble, performs a wide variety of choral works. Since its inception in 1997, the ensemble has toured extensively through the western United States and Europe.

Vocé is Cuesta College’s premier vocal jazz ensemble. Since its inception in 1981, the ensemble has toured extensively through the west coast and Europe. Vocé has received numerous awards including an Outstanding Performance Award from Downbeat magazine, a first-place award at the 1997 Reno Jazz Festival, and second-place at the 2003 Reno Jazz Festival. 

For more information on the Cuesta College Music Department, visit their website or call (805) 546-3195.