Mizzou Choral Activities
Choral Ensembles at Mizzou
University Singers is the premier choral ensemble at the University of Missouri’s School of Music, composed primarily of advanced undergraduate and graduate student singers. Under the direction of Dr. Brandon A. Boyd, the ensemble performs diverse and challenging repertoire spanning the full choral tradition, from a cappella works to major choral-orchestral masterpieces and new music. The ensemble regularly performs with the University Symphony, presents concerts on and off campus, and represents Mizzou at regional and national events. Members also have opportunities to participate in recordings, premieres, tours, and performances throughout the United States and abroad. Membership requires a full-year commitment and a rigorous schedule of rehearsals and performances.
Rehearsals are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 12:15-1:45pm.
Concert Chorale, conducted by Dr. Dr. Austin Norrid, Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education, offers an innovative twist on the traditional choral experience. This auditioned ensemble is open to any University of Missouri student, regardless of major or year in school. Singers participating in Concert Chorale have the opportunity to perform in both voice-specific ensembles (Soprano/Alto and Tenor/Bass) and a mixed-voice ensemble. The ensemble provides a positive, high-quality choral experience through a diverse and engaging repertoire that includes traditional choral literature, contemporary works by living composers, folk music from around the world, and a cappella and barbershop arrangements of popular music. Members participate in multiple formal and informal performances throughout the academic year.
Rehearsals are Tuesday and Thursday 12:15-1:45 PM.
Sankofa Chorale provides a choral and instrumental space where singers, regardless of ethnicity, can perform the various genres of the Black tradition. The repertoire includes but is not limited to spirituals, folk music, traditional and contemporary gospel music, operatic scenes, Broadway musical excerpts, rhythm and blues, and other formally composed works by Black composers and arrangers. Sankofa Chorale is a non-auditioned ensemble and is offered for academic credit through the School of Music founded and conducted by Dr. Brandon A. Boyd, Director of Choral Activities and assigned graduate conductors.
Rehearsals are Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 pm in Sinquefield Music Center 132, Sheryl Crow Hall.
Choral Union Symphonic Chorus was organized in 1977 and is a 250-voice, non-auditioned ensemble representing a “union” of choral singers from the University student body, faculty and staff, and community members from Columbia and mid-Missouri. Under the direction of Dr. Brandon A. Boyd, the ensemble presents one major program each semester, often collaborating with our University Orchestra, guest performers and conductors, and University instrumental ensembles to perform significant choral-orchestral literature.
A primary objective of Choral Union is to provide participants with meaningful educational experiences alongside some of the most significant music personalities of our time. Guest artists have included Aaron Copland, Robert Shaw, Sir David Willcocks, John Rutter, Lukas Foss, Vincent Persichetti, Margaret Hillis, Otto-Werner Mueller, William Warfield, André Thomas, and others.
The Choral Union’s repertoire includes major works such as Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Handel’s Messiah and Judas Maccabaeus, Haydn’s The Creation, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, the Requiems of Mozart, Brahms, and Verdi, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Honegger’s King David, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Vaughan Williams’s Dona Nobis Pacem.
Rehearsals are Thursday evenings 7:00-9:00pm.
Hitt Street Harmony is an auditioned chamber vocal ensemble specializing in traditional vocal jazz repertoire, often in collaboration with instrumental jazz combos. In addition, this ensemble also performs contemporary popular music and a cappella arrangements. Each semester the group performs one full-length concert and participates in various outreach events in the community. Hitt Street Harmony provides a diverse, challenging experience for each of its singers, developing vocal independence and a variety of different performance techniques.
Rehearsals are Monday, Wednesday and Friday 2:00-3:00 PM.
Auditions for Mizzou choral ensembles are held at the beginning of each fall semester. For fall audition information, dates, and registration, please visit Fall 2026 Ensemble Audition Information. Auditions typically include a song of your choice, a brief vocal range check, tonal memory, and a simple sight-reading assessment. Students are placed in an ensemble based on their experience, musical interests, and available openings.
Students interested in joining a choral ensemble during the spring semester should contact Dr. Brandon A. Boyd, Director of Choral Activities, at boydba@missouri.edu, or Dr. Austin Norrid, Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education, at austin.norrid@missouri.edu for information about available opportunities.
Please enjoy these videos of recent performances. More performances can be found by visiting the MU Choral and Vocal Ensembles YouTube page.
University Singers Performance