"Who among us has not sought peace in a song?" ~ Victor Hugo

The Carolina Vocal Arts Ensemble Story

As expressed by a patron, “Carolina Vocal Arts Ensemble (CVAE) is a national treasure right here in Wilmington.”  Established in 2006, this forty-five member choral group performs with world-class soloists and a chamber orchestra.  Under the direction of Stephen Field, the ensemble performs two annual concerts, representing a wide variety of musical selections.

Mission
To bring to southeastern North Carolina world class choral performances of the great sacred and secular choral works and operetta pieces.

Over the years, our repertoire has ranged from well-known great works such as the Mozart Requiem, to lighter fare such as selections from Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. Last May, the choir sang in five different languages for two performances of A Night at the Opera -- choruses from famous operas. This concert was the first in Wilmington to use simultaneous supertitles for translation during the concert. Our most recent concert, this past December, was A Classical Christmas.  Despite the concert taking place on a cold, rainy Monday evening, First Presbyterian Church was packed to the limit for this electrifying concert.  One audience member stated afterward, “I used to go to many concerts while living in Washington, DC, and have never heard such a wonderful Christmas concert”.  No matter what type of music Carolina Vocal Arts Ensemble undertakes, we approach it with a goal of bringing excellent musical quality to the community and a memorable experience to the audience.

The Ensemble
Members of the ensemble are invited to participate through an audition process.  We have members from all walks of life and all age groups.  In fact, CVAE was the first in Wilmington to have a Student Apprentice Singer Program for high school sophomores to college students. This program provides an opportunity for outstanding young singers to be mentored by a professional musical organization. We are exploring the possibility of taking these Apprentices into the schools to undertake educational programs for the students.  

In addition to supporting young people, CVAE believes in the importance of community service projects. During the late summer of 2010, members of CVAE supported the move of Snipes Academy of Arts and Design by helping to process and shelve thousands of books in the library of the new elementary school building.  As expressed in a note from one of the students, “Thank you for fixing our books and making our library beautiful.”

CVAE Patrons
With our standing-room-only premiere performance on the fifth anniversary of 9/11 – Celebrating America’s Freedom, CVAE continues to generate a great sense of enthusiasm among the audience and the choir members.  We are very grateful for the patrons who participate in and support our performances.  Our audiences continue to grow as our choir grows and word gets out about the quality of the musical experience.  At our most recent concert, there were about 650 people in the audience, with some standing along the back wall.  After one performance, a patron wrote, "We attended the concert, Stabat Mater…. The performance was so uplifting, so beautiful, so moving I had tears running down my cheeks.  UNFORGETTABLE.  We bought a CD and another for a gift and wrote a check of support, and will continue to do so.  The Carolina Vocal Arts Ensemble is a startling treasure!!"  This type of feedback from our audience members just continues to grow.

Carolina Vocal Arts Ensemble extends sincere appreciation to our individual supporters, as well as the Landfall Foundation and North Carolina Arts Council. Their support of these performances allows groups such as ours to enrich the cultural landscape of our community.  Without this kind of support, the level of performance quality and the growth of music in our community would not be feasible.  Thank you everyone!

2011-2012 Season
The theme of this season is Celebrating American Greatness.
Our Fall concert is Saturday, September 10 -- a patriotic and uplifting commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001. This concert is: Let Freedom Ring: A Tribute to the Heroes and Victims of 9-11.
In the Spring, the performance will honor an exceptional musical team of American lyricist and composer. The concert is Something Wonderful: Celebrating the Musical Genius of Rogers and Hammerstein.
Tickets are $15.00 per concert.
Location: Winter Park Baptist Church, 4700 Wrightsville Avenue.

Come join us and experience what audiences are calling an achievement in vocal orchestration and presentation, CVAE.