At City College, where diverse voices unite, the Quire of Voyces, transforms passion into harmony, creating a vibrant community that resonates far beyond the concert hall.
The choir, composed mainly of experienced singers, is an ensemble at City College that includes a diverse range of ages, from 20 to 78. They specialize in acapella sacred music with a mix of modern and Renaissance pieces. The group showcases their talents at two concerts annually, one in December and one in May, occasionally joining the City College’s College’s symphony for other performances.
“We have some opera singers, noise teachers, music teachers, and we have composers. It’s all ages, it Includes members ranging from 20 to 78 years old.” said Department Chair and Art Director Nathan Kreitzer. “The Quire is a really interesting group of people.”
Quire of Voyces originated initially as a small group in 1993, and later became a class at the college.
“I started the group in ‘93 on my own,” Kreitzer said. “There were large groups for choirs, but there was nothing really like that.”
The choir program had suffered from previous mismanagement, but Kreitzer has successfully revitalized it. Musical composer for the choir, Stephen Dombek, writes custom harmonies and notes that are played on the organs.
“He writes pieces for us, and so on our Japan tour, I had him write a mask for us, which is a long 25-minute piece of music that he wrote just for the group. We premiered that piece in May, and then we took it on tour with us when we went to Japan,” Kreitzer said.
On the Japan trip, the Quire of Voyces got to debut a tour at the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, in Osaka. This was an amazing opportunity to show the Quire’s talents internationally.
20-year-old City College student, Isael Negrete, is the youngest member of The Quire of Voyces and started his journey at City College by singing in the choir.
“It’s really cool seeing older and experienced people bonding together as a group,” Negrete said.
Isael depicted the Quire as a cohesive family that harmoniously creates beautiful music together. When questioned about his aspirations, he expressed a desire to advance towards more musical opportunities.
“I’ve got all sorts of people. Retired people, regular working people, some young, out-of-college-age people,” Kreitzer said. “They’re all great, and we all do acapella sacred music. And that’s another thing that makes it harder because singing by yourself is super hard”
Due to the fact that there are no background tracks or instruments, singing acapella requires high vocal control, pitch, and the ability to blend your voice with the others around you.
The Quire of Voyces concerts typically lasts around an hour, with no intermissions to keep audience engagement high.
“I will never go over an hour because no one wants to sit there, even if it’s great,” Kreitzer said.
Upcoming concerts will feature Christmas carol arrangements by various composers and arrangers. Also including a mix of traditional and modern Christmas music, with some pieces accompanied by a brass quintet.
“We’ve done Broadway shows and all kinds of crazy stuff, but we’re actually doing Christmas music this time. That’s fun for the first time in a while,” Kreitzer said. “And over the years, I’ve kind of leaned more heavily on the modern stuff.”
Since the Quire has mostly done sacred music and Renaissance pieces, modern Christmas music makes this year’s song choices especially exciting. This excitement also inspires a collective motivation to explore new musical styles and broaden their repertoire, enhancing the choir’s overall growth and unity.
As the choir continues to grow and evolve, its members remain excited about future endeavors.
“It’s hilarious fun. And the people are great,” Kreitzer said. This environment encourages collaboration and fosters relationships among members, creating a space where creativity can flourish and everyone feels valued as part of the group.
Both Quire concerts this year will be held at St. Anthony’s Chapel on Saturday, Dec. 14, Saturday, May. 10 and Sunday, May. 11.
