Hello! Music at Fordham

Hello, everybody! My name is Xavier Montecel, and I am a sophomore student at Fordham's Rose Hill Campus. Although I am not an international student, as a native Texan, I know what it's like to go to college far away from home. I'm part of the international outreach committee because as a student of Hispanic descent, I am interested in promoting regional and cultural diversity on campus. In this post, I would like to tell everyone about the opportunities for musical performance and study here at Fordham. As you may know, Fordham offers a music major at both the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses. The major includes both the study of music history as a humanities discipline and the study of music theory. Our downtown campus is particularly valuable to students interested in musical performance as it is right near one of the greatest centers of music in the world: Lincoln Center.

For those of you interested in singing, there are many opportunities at Fordham for you. The largest and one of the busiest vocal ensembles at Fordham is the University Choir, a select group of about sixty voices from both the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses. Membership is by audition, and auditions take place at the beginning of each semester. Our repertoire includes a great variety of sacred and secular music which we perform at several concerts throughout the year. We have also performed at the famous Carnegie Hall right here in New York City. The Choir is a very diverse group, composed of academic musicians and informal singers alike. This year I was the Vice President of the University Choir, and next year I will be President. Believe me that being in the choir has been one of the most valuable experiences I've had at Fordham. This year we've kept very busy with our regular concerts, our annual Festival of Lessons and Carols at Christmastime, and with various other projects. I didn't go home over Easter break this year, so I was able to stay and sing at the daily services with the Liturgical Choir (I also had easter dinner with my roommate who made Julia Child's famous dish: boeuf bourguignon --- delicious!). In the past few weeks, the Concert Choir has completed our final concert of the year and recorded our Christmas CD which will go on sale next year! To get an idea of the type of music which the University Choir performs, check out this video:

In addition to the University Choir, Rose Hill students can be a part of the Womens' Choir, the Liturgical Choir, the Gospel Choir, or the Folk Choir. Each of these ensembles is unique, and the members really love what they do. If choir singing is not for you, you might consider auditioning for one or two of the three a'cappella groups we have at the Rose Hill campus: the Ramblers (all male), the Satin Dolls (all female), or the B-Sides. Needless to say, Fordham is a great place for those of us who wish to exercise and improve our musical skills!