About the Chorus
The Springfield Symphony Chorus is an unpaid semi-professional group of singers from throughout the greater CT River Valley. The Chorus is associated with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra which performs at Springfield Symphony Hall. The Orchestra and Chorus collaborate on works throughout each season. The Chorus also performs in concerts on its own with an accompanist, chamber orchestra, and/or other artists.
Auditions for the Springfield Symphony Chorus are typically held in September and January.
If you love singing and being part of exciting live performances, possess a basic knowledge of music notation and would like to work with others who share your passion, consider auditioning for the Springfield Symphony Chorus! It’s a great way to meet new people and keep music in your life!
Nikki Stoia
Springfield Symphony Chorus Director
Coach/accompanist, piano soloist, singer, and conductor Nikki Stoia is known for her musical versatility, with repertoire that encompasses traditional and contemporary classical and popular music. Her concert work as a collaborative pianist has taken her to many U.S. cities, including Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Honolulu, and she has appeared abroad in concerts in England, France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden. She has appeared in performances at various U.S. and Canadian venues as a member of the Bob Becker Ensemble and has performed as collaborative pianist in concerts at International Tuba and Euphonium, International Trumpet Guild, and Percussive Arts Society conferences.
Ms. Stoia recently retired as Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education for the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, as well as Senior Lecturer II and Music Chief Undergraduate Advisor/Honors Program Director in the Department of Music and Dance at UMass Amherst. She was a four-time Distinguished Teacher Award nominee and an Outstanding Academic Advisor Award winner at the University. She remains active as a collaborative pianist in Music Department performances.
Having served as accompanist for the Springfield Symphony Chorus for nineteen years, Ms. Stoia is now in her nineteenth year as Music Director/Conductor of this ensemble. In addition to preparing the SSC for performances with the SSO and for its own recitals in the greater Springfield area and beyond, as SSC Director she and the Chorus have collaborated with Avery Sharpe, Kevin Sharpe, and the Extended Family Choir in performances at Symphony Hall and in other Western Massachusetts locations.
Ms. Stoia is the Founder/Director of the Western Massachusetts Singers for Survivors, a chorus of cancer survivors and caregivers, which performs in the Western Massachusetts area to bring attention to cancer survival and support fundraising activities for cancer care. She holds a Master of Music degree in Collaborative Piano from UMass Amherst, acknowledged as a Phi Kappa Phi graduate, and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Smith College, where she majored in Music and German.
History of the Springfield Symphony Chorus
The Springfield Symphony Chorus was founded in the 1944-1945 concert season to join the one-year-old Springfield Symphony Orchestra in its performance of Brahms’ “Schicksalslied” on April 22, 1945. The Chorus has performed continuously since then with the Orchestra as well as in its own concerts. The Chorus was originally under the directorship of Alexander Leslie, the founder of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra.
Today, under the baton of Chorus Director Nikki Stoia, the SSC continues its collaboration with the SSO and also presents choral recitals in the greater Springfield area, and other locations.
Springfield Symphony Chorus Bylaws and Executive Board Job Descriptions
The Springfield Symphony Chorus is governed by an all-volunteer Executive Board composed of chorus members. The Executive Board collaborates with the Director of the Springfield Symphony Chorus and helps with the management of the organization.
