Welcome!
Thank you for visiting the Big Apple Chorus' website! We are delighted that you have interest in the Big Apple Chorus! We are a mixed chorus of men and women who sing 4-part a cappella harmony.
Please use the menu items in the red banner above to find out more about the Chorus, such as: who we are, how to join, how to engage the Chorus for your upcoming event, etc.
The Chorus and the Pandemic
Like most organizations, when COVID-19 hit New York City, we had to adjust and figure out how we could continue through this horrific worldwide emergency. Our rehearsal space was shuttered, and social distancing quickly became the safe norm, since we were all vulnerable to the virus. Our public performances were cancelled. We had no idea how we would continue to sing.
But survive we did! We turned to Zoom for our weekly rehearsals. That kept us alive and vibrant during the next 15 months, able not only to keep our repertoire in shape, but also to learn 5 new songs (though not able to sing them on Zoom together in 4-part harmony -- "Ugh!"). Among the new songs that we learned while on Zoom are terrific arrangements of ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky," Maroon 5's "Sugar" and the Beach Boys' "Kokomo."
And, to bring some levity to our rehearsals, we took a short break mid-way through most Zoom-rehearsals to: "Zoom-play" Wheel of Fortune (using letter tiles from a
Scrabble game and phrases taken from our current songs), Name That Tune (using snippets from Broadway musicals' show tunes, TV show themes, and popular hits of past decades) and, near the end of our isolation, we turned to solving Rebus picture-puzzles.
In June, when in-person outdoor gatherings were once again permitted in NYC, we finally resumed meeting together. We wore face masks when necessary, all had been fully vaccinated against the virus and stayed separated a safe distance.
During lock-down, various "for-the-occasion" quartets were able to deliver via Zoom: "Singing Valentines" in February, Mother's Day "Zoom-Grams" and birthday
greetings. Also, a portion of Chorus itself was able to present a short virtual performance on Zoom to a company meeting in Edmonton, Canada. Then, finally, on September 19th, the Chorus finally sang "in person" again, at a Brooklyn Cyclones baseball game in Coney Island!
Visiting/Joining the Chorus
Men and women who enjoy singing are welcome to visit our Manhattan rehearsals. All one really needs is to be able to sing in tune and to have the desire to create and perform fantastic four-part a cappella harmony.
The ability to read music is helpful, but not necessary. Many of our current members cannot read music; they learn their words and notes (tenor, lead, baritone or bass) by listening to and singing along with audio mp3 "learning tracks" on their computers or cell-phones, while following along with the song's sheet music. The Chorus provides sheet music and learning tracks for all our songs.
For everyone's safety, however, we now require that those who visit/attend a Chorus rehearsal abide by these NYC COVID guidelines:
Please Check for Rehearsal Location
Given the current COVID state of things, the precise location of our weekly Monday evening mid-town Manhattan rehearsal could change, and so we ask that visitors and potential new members call the Chorus phone at (212) 287-5250 a day or so beforehand, to check on the location. Just leave a short message with your name and contact phone number(s), and we will return your call ASAP and give you the rehearsal location info.
