Westchester Glee Chorus to Hold Try-Outs

Calling all middle and high school Gleeks—you can finally stop wishing you were on the beloved Fox TV show Glee, and join a musical community of your own.

The Westchester Glee Chorus is holding an informational meeting and audition on Monday, January 30 and Tuesday, January 31 at 6 p.m. at , 430 North St. in White Plains, to fill its 40-person choir.

Westchester’s hippest new chorus will practice hits—from artists like Adele, Beyonce, Lauryn Hill, Coldplay, Stevie Wonder and Carrie Underwood—over a 15-week session with a final concert held at the church. The chorus, which is open to youth of all denominations, will also perform at other venues throughout the spring.

Don't worry parents, you too will find a place to jam out other than in the car or the shower.

“This should be a fun group to be around,” said Norine Castine, who will direct the contemporary community chorus. “I'll bet I'll have some parents singing along, too!”

The Westchester Glee Chorus will hold rehearsals on Mondays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. starting February 3 in the church’s acoustically rich sanctuary.

“We’re trying to be relevant and create something good for the community that doesn’t exist,” said Norman White, Trinity Lutheran Church’s pastor. “We want something the community wants, we are a church that cares about the community.”

You don’t have to be a musical superstar or have any previous choral experience to audition. Just bring your love of music and passion for signing with a group, be prepared to enthusiastically perform your best song—and get excited!

In addition to singing in the chorus, there will also be opportunities for solos and small group arrangements. Students will learn arrangements during rehearsals similar to those on the TV shows “Glee” and NBC's “The Sing-Off.”

Castine—a pianist, teacher, conductor and composer who serves as the church’s music director or “music minister”—also offers help in preparing solos for the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA).

“I do believe studying classical music is really really important—but I also believe you can get great strength in music, if they do the music they love,” said Castine, a Manhattan resident who also works as a vocal coach and choral accompanist at Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville. “If they have something they can connect to that way, that’s a way for them to explore things they aren’t familiar with.” 

Castine says her students use singing as musical outlets to soothe their souls so to speak—serving as a means to de-stress and express joy through the passion of song.

“I got one kids who says ‘I’m here for my music therapy,'” said Castine. “I think with all the pressures—a lot of students have college prep and all of those things weighing on them—if they can come here and get some of that stress relieved by singing stuff they love and learn new skills at the same time—it’s easy because you’re learning without realizing it because you are having so much fun.

"I think that’s a huge outlet for youth to just come in and make music together.”

Please feel free to call Nivia Viera (914) 261-0815, Lascelles Bond (914) 946-9398, or Norine Castine (646) 236-3446 for more information or visit trinitylutheranchurchwhiteplains.org