About Us
Founded in 1954, the Dartmouth Choral Society has a long and proud history of community choral singing. DCS provides an artistic opportunity for members to sing some of the great choral works from the renaissance to the contemporary. Our members love to sing a variety of music, both sacred and secular, classical and popular, historic and modern.
Membership
The Dartmouth Choral Society is accepting new basses and male voice tenors for the fall 2025 term. We are not accepting new sopranos or altos at this time.
We invite singers:
with a passion for musical expression;
willing and able to make a commitment to rehearsals and performances;
with some experience (members range in levels of ability, from strong sight readers to those with good musical memories!);
with a desire to learn, grow, and participate in a respectful and welcoming musical organization.
Commitment
While we are a non-audition choir with an emphasis on community and the enjoyment of music, membership in DCS requires a commitment to attend weekly rehearsals on Tuesday nights from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. and extra pre-performance rehearsals – typically one dress rehearsal each semester.
We also require the payment of dues, which we use to pay our artistic staff, purchase music, rent rehearsal space, advertise, and purchase equipment such as risers.
Current dues are $70 for the fall term and $70 for the spring term. Financial assistance is available for those singers that need aid.
Rehearsals
We rehearse on Tuesday evenings from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 pm at Cole Harbour-Woodside United Church (corner of Cole Harbour Road and Bissett Road).
We are a mask friendly space and invite all members to be proactive about their health. Please do not attend rehearsal if you are feeling unwell.
Terms
We have two terms, each culminating in a public concert. Our fall term begins in September and ends in December. Our spring term begins in January and ends in May.
Concert Dress
Members provide their own appropriate dress for concerts. More information is available before each concert.
Sheet Music
Each member is loaned a folder for sheet music for the term. Notes are to be made in soft pencil only. Members erase their notes after the concert and return their music to the choir librarian.
Land Acknowledgement
We are grateful to rehearse and perform in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people. We are all Treaty people, and our relationship is based on peace and friendship.
We also acknowledge that people of African descent have been in Nova Scotia for over 400 years, and we honour and offer gratitude to those ancestors of African descent who came before us to this land.
More Information
If you are interested in getting more information about the choir, please email dartmouthchoral1954@gmail.com.
