NOVA Community Chorus

The Community Chorus is a part of the Music Program at NOVA’s Alexandria Campus. The ensemble, comprising singers from both the College and the surrounding community, is open to all interested singers without audition. The chorus has distinguished itself both locally and internationally. It performs regularly in the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall on the NOVA campus and has performed with the Alexandria Band, the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic and the Alexandria Symphony. Special engagements in past years have included Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the National Theater. The chorus toured Spain and performed at the 1992 World’s Fair in Seville. The chorus has sung in England (2006), at the Leipzig International Choral Festival in Germany (2008) and in France (2010).

Membership

Membership in the chorus requires registration for MUS 137. Registration is open to all; each member is expected to attend rehearsal regularly and diligently practice with music and audio recordings. Membership in the chorus is maintained through registration in a one-credit course at NOVA’s Alexandria Campus every Fall and Spring semester. Rehearsals are on Tuesday nights, 7-9:30 pm.

Contact Director Mary-Hannah Klontz for further information at mklontz@nvcc.edu.

Chorus Director Mary-Hannah Klontz

Mary-Hannah Klontz received a D.M.A. in Choral Conducting from George Mason University, a M.M. in French Horn Performance from the Eastman School of Music and a B.M. Music Education in French Horn, with a minor in Piano and Voice from the University of Akron. Klontz began her career as a professional horn player, but her love of teaching drew her into a career in education where she has taught at every level. Ensembles under the direction of Dr. Klontz have received the highest accolades and been invited to perform at the Virginia Music Educators Conference, The White House, The National Cathedral and The Millennium Stage of the Kennedy Center. She is active as a guest clinician, vocalist, and composer. Klontz also leads the choral adjudicator certification program of the Virginia Choral Directors Association and directs Excelsior Voices, a community youth choir in Woodbridge, VA. Her composition, “Point Me to the Stars”, is published with Hal Leonard in the Henry Leck Choral Artistry Series. In addition, Klontz is the editor of a new critical edition of Arnold Schoenberg’s “De Profundis” (Psalm 130), Op. 50B that is available as a digital download in PDF, mp3 and digital notation files.