UCLA

Chamber Singers

UCLA Chamber Singers

Chamber Singers

Preparation: Audition*
*Students must be at advanced level to participate.

Rehearsal*:
Monday & Wednesday
3:00 – 4:50 p.m.
Choral room, 1325 Schoenberg Hall.
*Additional rehearsal time may be required.

Chamber Singers is a 2 unit course, listed on URSA at both the undergraduate and graduate level.
Students may enroll in two sections per term; total of 12 units may be applied toward degree requirements.
Undergradate: Music C185B, section 1
Graduate: Music C480B, section 1

The UCLA Chamber Singers, a 32-40 voiced mixed-choir, represents the highest level of ensemble singing. The ensemble has been conducted by choral luminaries including Roger Wagner, Donn Weiss, Donald Neuen and now Dr. James K. Bass. At UCLA, the choir routinely presents performances representing the entire spectrum of choral literature on campus and in the community. The choir annually performs with UCLA Philharmonia in presentations of major choral orchestral works in the historic on-campus venue Royce Hall. The ensemble has collaborated with other nationally recognized arts groups, including the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Minneapolis Guitar Quartet, Seraphic Fire, and the touring production of Distant Worlds, the music of Final Fantasy. Additionally, Chamber Singers often participate in the performing and recording premieres of new works such as Richard Danielpour’s The Passion of Yeshua, recorded by Naxos Records.

Meet the Director

Dr. James K. Bass, three-time GRAMMY®-nominated singer and conductor, is the Director of Choral Studies in the Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA and the Associate Conductor for the professional choir Seraphic Fire. He was previously on the faculty at Western Michigan University and the University of South Florida in Tampa and served as the Artistic Director of the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay: the official chorus of the Florida Orchestra. Bass received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Miami–Florida, where he was a doctoral fellow, Master of Music and Bachelor of Science degrees from the University of South Florida and is a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy.

Learn More
Learn More
Learn More

Meet The TAs

Desiree Balfour
UCLA Doctor of Musical Arts Choral Conducting candidate
Ryan Brown
Lecturer -- Voice
Jack McHugh
UCLA Master of Music Candidate, Choral Conducting
UCLA Chamber Singers Revel in Grammy Nominations for Passion of Yeshua
Richard Danielpour’s dramatic oratorio, The Passion of Yeshua, which also features members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and the UCLA Chamber Singers, as well as six soloists, including baritone James K. Bass, was recently nominated in three Grammy categories for the Naxos recording of last year’s performance.
Faculty and the School of Music's UCLA Chamber Singers Score Grammy Classical Nominations
Richard Danielpour, a professor at UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music, scored a nomination for best contemporary classical composition with “Yeshua.” The album also is up for best choral performance, and if it were to win, the Grammy would be shared by a team that includes the UCLA Chamber Singers — an ensemble of about three dozen undergraduate and graduate students studying music performance, education, composition and conducting.