Trinity University

 A culture of singing...

The Trinity choral program attracts students from nearly every academic discipline at the university. Members include various club/activity leaders, student athletes, residential and Greek life - all of whom share a love of singing.

A few fun facts...

• In its early history, every student enrolled at Trinity University was required to study voice.
• 1921 - The TU choirs presented their first full performance of Handel's Messiah on a Thursday morning at 10am in the university chapel.
• 1934 - Singers enjoyed a unique collaboration with the physical education classes as both groups joined forces to perform the opera, The Pied Pipe of Hamelin.
• 1938 - The Trinity choirs were first broadcast on WBAP radio and later featured on national television on "The Protestant Hour."
• 1961 - The Trinity Choir performed with a Metropolitan Opera cast for the Verdi opera, Rigoletto.
• 1963 - The Trinity Choir performed the coronation scene from Tchaikovsky's Boris Godunov during one of its many collaboration with the San Antonio Symphony.
• 1970's - Trinity's Gesangverein Frohsinn was an on-campus German singing club that performed for several German-American celebrations around Central Texas. Frohsinn means "good humor" and the mission of the ensemble was to achieve this through German song.
• 1985 - To mark the anniversaries of several prominent composers, the Trinity choral program organized a year-long Baroque Festival on campus which included several large-scale masterworks by Heinrich Schütz, J.S. Bach, and G.F. Handel.
• 1987 - The choir co-ed flag football team played Hell Team, TU's top intramural squad. The choir team lost by a score of 61-0. Apparently, the trick play in which the choir snapped the ball on a designated syllable of the Trinity alma mater failed to reap results. The post-game article in the Trinitonian stated that "the game was much closer than the score indicates."

Today...

• The Trinity choral ensembles perform regularly to packed houses at seasonal concerts and the combined Choral Union masterwork program with the Trinity Symphony Orchestra.
• The annual Vespers Service is one of the longest standing traditions at Trinity. Following the service which is based on the Lessons & Carols tradition of King's College in Cambridge, the residents of Oakmont Court (TU administration) open their finely decorated homes for the nearly 1000 audience members to enjoy hors d'oeuvres and listen to carolers.
• Since its debut in 1994, the Trinity Christmas Concert today brings over 3000 audience members annually to Lauri Auditorium to hear the combined Trinity Choirs, Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Handbells, Jazz Ensemble, and student-led groups.

Singing is a social sport...

Embracing the undeniable social aspect of choral singing, every choir participates in off-campus retreats where they enjoy fun outdoor team-building activities and roast marshmallows by the campfire. Other activities have included late-night choir bowling, touch-football, the San Antonio Rodeo, and getting lost in a nearby corn maze.

In 2009, the University Women's Chorus (now Voix d'Esprit) participated in its first group annual yoga class in which proper breathing and posture were related to singing technique.