BIT OF HISTORY
The Chorale has often been self-directed, but for larger projects and to help promote its musical development, the Chorale also works closely with a variety of professional musicians. Directors and coaches have included founding mother Jayne Demakos, Elaine Fedchak, Jennifer Haywood, Marianna Raho, Carl Johengen and Sarah Dennis.
PAST PROJECTS
Grant Supported Project: New York Sings! A Composers’ Symposium and Voices: A Celebration of the Music in All of Us – The Inclusive Choir Project.
LOOKING FORWARD
The Chorale loves to collaborate with other groups and musicians. We have sung with the Women’s Chorale of West High School (Corning), Svitanya (Philadelphia), Women’s Works (Ithaca), and Jubilation! (Hamilton NY). The Chorale has been a regular participant in the Festival of Women in the Arts, a Women’s History Month celebration sponsored by the Cantata Singers.
Doreen loves to conduct. She’s directed several church choirs and school choirs. From 1993 until 2013, she was the Artistic Director and principal conductor for Bella Voce, a women’s chamber chorale in Ithaca. While at Barrington College Doreen studied with Alfred Smith, Donald Brown, and Frank Marinaccio; she studied with Lawrence Doebler while at Ithaca College. Known for her imaginative programming, she works to bring an operatic sound to her choirs.
Writing romantic fiction under her real name and with The Wild Rose Press Doreen’s published six novels and one novella, all set in a sports bar in a fictional seaside town north of Boston. The novelist and actor in her informs her conducting which is all about telling a story, just like she does in her books. When not conducting, singing, or writing, Doreen teaches water aerobics at Island Health and Fitness in Ithaca. She’s very excited to be working with The Women’s Chorale of Corning and predicts great things for the chorale’s future!
Artistic Director
Doreen Alsen has been teaching singing since 1979, both privately and in the public school setting. She graduated from Barrington College in Barrington, RI in 1979 with a Bachelor of Music Education, concentration in voice, Magna Cum Laude and from Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY, in 1985 with a Master of Music in Vocal Performance. She’s studied privately with Rosamond Wadsworth, Edward Doucette, Carol McAmis, Gary Race, and Peter Sicilian. She has taught Musical Theater at the Universität Trier in Trier, Germany and studied with Kammersängerin Sena Jurinac in Vienna, Austria.
Doreen has given concerts in Ithaca, NY, Providence, RI, Provincetown, MA, and Trier, Germany and performed roles with the Ithaca Opera, the Cabot Street Light Opera (Providence, RI), and Women’s Work (Ithaca, NY). She’s taught singing at Ithaca’s Community School of Music and Arts since 1985 and is the scriptwriter and music director of CSMA’s wildly popular musical theater summer camp, Star Search.
The Women’s Chorale has been in existence for almost 30 years and consists of women of all ages who share a passion for singing. Together, the singers love the challenge and joy of sharing that passion, and is always open to new members. The Chorale explores a wide range of music composed for treble voices. Recently known as The Women’s Chorale at 171 Cedar, we are excited to be launching on our own as The Women’s Chorale of Corning.
The Women’s Chorale takes great pleasure in performing much-loved favorites from around the world, along with lesser-known and original compositions. The mission of The Women’s Chorale is to share the music that members love with the widest possible audience, and to develop and promote the universal language of music.