News

August 4, 2021

Burnt Hills Oratorio Society Announces New Season and Name

Emerging from a year of silence and eager to lift their voices as one, the members of the Burnt Hills Oratorio Society (BHOS) are excited to announce a new season and a new name. The new name for this 50-year-old chorus is Saratoga Voices. The name was chosen to honor the county that has been its home since the chorus was started in 1970. The new name also reflects the current vision of this talented group which has evolved into an organization that performs a variety of music, including choral masterworks, musical theatre, vocal jazz, a cappella, and contemporary works. “If it involves singing, we love to do it,” says Dr. William Jon Gray, the Artistic Director. The group will continue to rehearse at the BH-BL High School, which has been its home since their first concert many years ago, and the group will continue to perform throughout the Capital Region.

Saratoga Voices’ first concert will be Judas Maccabeus, written by George Frideric Handel, to be performed on November 21, 2021, at the newly renovated Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs. To take advantage of the hall’s unique theatre in the round, the performance will have an interesting twist – a semi-staged concert version of this well-known vocal masterpiece. The group’s second event for the 2021-2022 performing season will be a staged version of “The Music Man,” also to be performed at UPH in February 2022. Saratoga Voices’ final performance will be in May and will be a collection of contemporary works that demonstrate a broad spectrum of choral music. The program’s buffet of musical genres is guaranteed to appeal to every music lover.

Understandably, it has been a challenge to plan a season that honors the parameters of safety that vary almost daily. Saratoga Voices is committed to shining light on the dark stages that have been shuttered for the past year and to rejoice in the power of singing. “The singers are eager to resume rehearsals and to recapture the joy of singing together,” adds Dr. Gray, “and I can’t wait to get started.”

To keep informed about Saratoga Voices, visit their website at saratogavoices.org