Rising second-year student Marc Lindgren earned a spot in the 2022 Chanticleer Sonoma Choral Workshop, which gave a small, highly competitive group of participants access to an accelerated choral learning experience in June.
The Sonoma Choral Workshop was first established in 2005 when the award-winning classical vocal ensemble, Chanticleer, teamed up with Sonoma State University to create a program for choral singers at the university level and beyond.
Marc Lindgren
In this five-day workshop, all twelve members of Chanticleer participated in coaching sessions, classes, demonstrations of rehearsal techniques, as well as informal interactions with participants.
This summer, the program also introduced the Chanticleer Consort Singers Fellowship, which is a pre-professional fellowship program available for up to five eligible singers. As one of the recipients, Lindgren was awarded tuition, accommodation, extra solo and small ensemble opportunities, and the chance to sing as part of Chanticleer during rehearsals.
Lindgren was introduced to the workshop by his singing instructor Sarah Brailey, a Grammy award-winning soprano and the director of the vocal studies program at UChicago. She is acquainted with the director of Chanticleer and advised Lindgren to apply to the course, writing him a letter of recommendation in support of his application.
Not only was Lindgren accepted to the course, but he was also selected to be one of six students in the Concert Singers Program, which is designed to facilitate the younger aspiring singers and challenge them with more difficult repertoire.
“To have an even more unique educational experience during that course was really cool,” he said. “The Music Department was extremely helpful throughout all of this—I was very close to not taking this opportunity because I didn’t have the funds to support myself going there, but the department partially funded me, which was all I really needed to kickstart one of the best experiences of my life.”
A baritone singer currently pursuing a major in both music and economics, Lindgren grew up playing the piano and cello and began singing in the chapel choir when he started middle school in the United Kingdom.
He gained significant experience in professional settings from a young age, regularly participating in weekly song services at his school. Since then, he has also begun composing, but his current professional focus remains on singing.
At UChicago, Lindgren continues to explore the world of music. Last spring quarter, he completed the Advanced Composition course with renowned composer Clay Mettens, which he said was one of the most enjoyable classes he has taken so far.
The class consisted of listening to music of different styles and analyzing compositional techniques involved, as well as discussions, composition assignments, and longer writing projects implementing these techniques learned.
“Our pieces were performed by professional musicians, which was a fantastic opportunity to hear our music live for the first time,” he said.
Additionally, he has been taking weekly vocal lessons with Brailey who helps him develop his voice and overall musicianship. His classes usually consist of vocal exercises to refine technique and coaching on his current repertoire.
Outside of classes, Lindgren is a member of the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel Choir, where he holds the position of Choral Scholar. He has also sung in the Early Music Ensemble, a historically oriented performance group that is open to anyone in the University community. Additionally, Lindgren is the founder and director of the undergraduate vocal octet known as The Bond Singers, which performed at the Smart Museum and Bond Chapel at the end of the spring quarter.
“I’ve been able to see how high-standard it is here [at UChicago],” Lindgren said. “There are so many opportunities for me to see all the different things you can get involved with in music.”
This prepared him well for the Chanticleer in Sonoma Workshop, which took place from June 15-19. A total of 50 participants took classes in both large groups and small, singing daily in the tutti choir and intensive small ensemble rehearsals. They received in-depth instruction and valuable performance tips, learned musicianship and music theory, and rehearsed for the closing concert featuring participants singing with members of Chanticleer.
Since all of the participants entered the program at a high musical level, the workshop moved at a fast pace. Lindgren sang and performed a variety of pieces in the program, from early Renaissance church music to pop covers. While his all-time favorite composer is J.S. Bach, one song that he particularly enjoyed learning at the program was “Lopin' Along Thru the Cosmos” by Judee Sill (arranged by Adam Ward) because “it was the most amazing arrangement of a piece I’ve seen.”
He said he was also able to learn more about the industry and the experiences of the singers themselves.
“I was able to hear what it’s like to be a professional singer in this kind of industry, which isn’t a world that is very transparent,” he said. “I talked a lot with the group and was able to hear what they’ve been through, which was very helpful because I want to have a career in music, hopefully singing too, but that path has always been very difficult for me to see. Things are finally becoming clearer after this experience.”
