Saratoga Voices Choir Prepares for Upcoming Concert: “One Land, Many Voices”

For the past month, choristers of Saratoga Voices have convened in the music room of Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School on Wednesday nights for rehearsal.

Their next concert, “One Land, Many Voices,” will be held at the Universal Preservation Hall on Sunday, October 25, at 3 p.m. Artistic Director, Noah Palmer, has formed a diverse program of music representative of our nation’s unique history.

“We were looking for repertoire that would cover the beautiful tapestry of styles, historical periods and cultural areas representing the different peoples that are part of the American musical tapestry,” said Palmer.

For the past four years Palmer has been leading the choir in a new direction as the artistic director of Saratoga Voices. As he was beginning his tenure, the choir voted to change their name from The Burnt Hills Oratorio Society; Palmer cites a multitude of reasons for the name change.

“First of all, The Burnt Hills Oratorio Society is a quite long and burdensome name that is difficult to pronounce and remember,” said Palmer. Another reason “is that Saratoga is our home and that’s the big urban center we want to be connected to.”

But besides the logistical rationale, the change represents a wider scope for the choir. 

“Choral music in American has exploded in an amazing way in the last few decades, and a lot of what’s being written is secular music,” said Palmer. “So, part of the idea is expanding our identity beyond just the major large scale religious or sacred music.” 

However, the change does not represent a complete departure from traditional Christian Hymns, rather a choice to encompass contemporary choral compositions.

Take for example, “Ambe” by Andrew Balfour, who is of Cree descent which is sung in his native tongue.

The song requires the choir to work through technical aspects of singing in a foreign language through speaking the words phonetically and deciphering where to put emphasis.  

Palmer described the melody of “Ambe” as if you were constantly tripping over yourself, and as expected there were a few missteps. 

However, mistakes can yield gold, and with assistance from a lead piano maintaining the melody and rhythm, the group was able to find it. 

As a passive bystander in the rehearsal, it was clear why the choristers decided to forgo their free time to become a part of the whole.

When each voice of a different range and capacity finds its place in harmony, it is truly angelic.

The baritones lay the melody like a steam train fighting inertia to gain momentum. 

The altos and tenors, like yin and yang, meld together to fill space between the firing pistons. 

Finally, the sopranos complete the harmony, creating a swelling ethereal strain.

Then the bass drops away, releasing the tension, like a feather falling without a breeze. 

Evidently, this feeling is contagious.

Two years ago, Saratoga Voices began requiring an audition to join their choir. Peculiarly for the uninitiated, since requiring an audition, the choir saw an increase in membership. However, Palmer says it reinforces their credibility.

“Singers want to see a certain level of standard, and there’s a lot of choirs in this area to choose from,” said Palmer. “One of the things that especially younger singers want to see is they want to know that there’s a certain level of quality that the choir is going to bring and that they’re personally expected to bring.”

The choir will hold auditions for the 2026-27 season on Wednesday, October 14. Tickets to the “One Land, Many Voices” concert are $40.25 or $28.75 for seniors. For more information on joining Saratoga voices or to purchase tickets for their upcoming concert, go to saratogavoices.org.