****************Special Announcement****************
CHORAL CONDUCTING JOB OPENING
Please share with all those who may be interested.
Chicago Bar Association Chorus Director
Applications close: July 19, 2025
Location: Chicago, IL
Wanted: Experienced choral conductor / director for the CBA Chorus, an amateur mixed adult chorus (approximately 60 members) which rehearses on Wednesday evenings at The Chicago Bar Association, 321 South Plymouth Court, Chicago, IL 60604.
The successful candidate will be a person with the blend of personality, skills, and commitment needed to build on the tradition achieved by our founding conductor and recent outgoing conductor, who has retired after eight years of dedicated service.
Chorus repertoire has ranged from classical choral works to American and international folk songs and the best of Broadway. The Chorus typically rehearses and performs three concerts between September and May or June. The concerts usually include pieces in which the Chorus performs with the CBA Symphony Orchestra (CBASO), conducted by Music Director Jennifer Huang, and sometimes includes pieces performed by the Chorus a cappella or with piano accompaniment, conducted by the Chorus Director. The ability to work collaboratively with Ms.Huang, who is the overall Music Director when the Orchestra and Chorus perform together, is a key requirement for the Chorus Director position. The Chorus occasionally performs independently and has traveled to Springfield, Illinois and New York City.
Please send a resume outlining your education and experience, a video of your conducting, both in rehearsal and performance (if both are available), and a short video—limited to no more than two minutes—introducing yourself and commenting on why the job interests you. You are welcome to indicate suggested repertoire and comments on your suggestions, as well as to identify repertoire you have previously prepared and conducted.
Send applications to cbacsearch2025@gmail.com no later than July 19, 2025.
Semi-finalists will be selected after that date and interviewed by the search committee for further consideration. Salary range is $10-12K, depending on education and experience.
To view the CBA Chorus and Orchestra in performance, please follow this link to an excerpt from Carmina Burana, performed with the Naperville Chorus and Young Naperville Singers, recorded at Symphony Center, Chicago, conducted by founding CBASO music director, David Katz, click here.
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Rehearsals: Wednesdays at 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the CBA
Openings in many sections for new members.
The CBA Chorus is in need of sopranos, tenors, and basses. Contact Allyn Rawling for details.
The CBA Chorus seeks to
- Promote and enhance the public's understanding and image of The Chicago Bar Association by sharing the musical excellence of its members
- Perform 3-4 concerts a year and provide choral music for CBA-sponsored events
- Attract new members to the CBA by offering opportunities for civic involvement and artistic expression
- Complement The Chicago Bar Association Symphony Orchestra
- Promote civic service among CBA members
- Provide an opportunity for CBA members to exchange ideas and information through interaction in a social setting
- Offer a valuable service to CBA members in response to a known demand
Join the Chorus
Join the CBA Chorus for a season of masterpieces rehearsed and performed under outstanding professional conductors, including Stephen Blackwelder, CBA Chorus Director, with Jeremy Vigil, CBA Chorus Accompanist. The chorus generally has openings in all sections, but it sometimes is necessary to move singers into other sections to obtain the proper balance. Rehearsals are held from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Wednesdays at the CBA Building, 321 S. Plymouth Court, and occasionally at the Daley Center. To join, contact
Sean Hoffman.
No auditions are required. All our members have had previous choral experience and all new members should have vocal experience, preferably choral experience. Annual fees to help defray costs are $50 student, $100 member and $150 supporting member (minimum). Please make your checks payable to The Chicago Bar Association and remit to the CBA Chorus co-chairs. We accept all individuals working in the legal profession, so do not hesitate to contact us about joining the chorus if you are a paralegal, legal assistant or secretary.
Leadership
Allyn Rawling
William H. Nichols
Sean Hoffman
Mark E. Burkland
Support the Chorus
The Chorus is grateful for any and all support from firms and individuals! If you would like to make a financial or in-kind contribution to the CBA Chorus, please email
Bill Nichols. If you would like to purchase an ad or patron listing in next season's program, please email
Suzanne Poulos. Special thanks to our concert location sponsor, St. James Cathedral.
Click here for information on the St. James Cathedral Music Program.
Chamber Music Recital
Members and friends of the Chicago Bar Association Symphony Orchestra and Chorus perform a chamber music concert. Solos, duets, trios, quartets, quintets, pieces with voice (or voices) up to a small chamber orchestra are welcome. Selections are limited to one movement. The 2025 Chamber Concert will be held at PianoForte Studios, 1335 S Michigan Ave, on Sunday, January 26, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. For more information please contact
Emily Chen.
Law Day
In conjunction with the YLS Law Week Program either the Barristers Big Band, the Chorus, or Symphony Orchestra will perform at the annual noon-time celebration at Daley Plaza the first week of May.
Wonderful Counsellor
Be sure to join our mailing list to get advanced information about Wonderful Counsellor, the much-anticipated pictorial history of the CBA Symphony, CBA Chorus and Barristers Big Band, written by David Katz, founding music director of The Chicago Bar Association Symphony Orchestra, being published this fall by DelGatto Press.
Sign up here to receive more information.
We are on YouTube! Click here to check us out!
From CARMINA BURANA. David Katz conducting the CBASO, CBA Chorus, Guest Choirs and Soloists
From "SOMETHING WONDERFUL," with the CBASO, CBA Chorus, Guest Choirs and Soloists
From "SOMETHING WONDERFUL," with the CBASO, CBA Chorus, Guest Choirs and Soloists
The HALLELUJAH CHORUS (from "ODE to JOY"): new arrangement by Jamie Whitmarsh with the CBASO, CBA Chorus, Guest Choirs and Soloists