About Us

The Northeastern University Choral Society fosters aesthetic and educational experiences through the rehearsal and performance of choral music, and promotes harmonious social interaction among members of the Northeastern community. Members of the Choral Society come from all backgrounds and majors, and any interested member of the NU community (student, faculty, staff) is eligible to join.

At Northeastern University, there are three choral ensembles for students to participate in. The choirs at NU performs a wide variety of repertoire, spanning from Renaissance to present time, and with special focus on global repertoire.

All ensembles are directed by Dr .Katherine Chan, director of choral activities. Participation requires class registration and successfully completing an audition.

CHORUS

(MUSC 1904)

An auditioned 85-100 mixed-voiced ensemble, and is taken as a free 1-credit elective by registering for MUSC1904. Rehearsals are held on Tuesdays from 6:00 to 8:30 pm in the Fenway Center.

CHAMBER SINGERS

Chamber Singers is an auditioned ensemble of approximately 32 members. The ensemble rehearses on Tuesdays from 8:15pm to 9:30pm in the Fenway Center. Singers in this ensemble must also sing in either Mosaic Ensemble or Chorus

MOSAIC

Advance Treble Ensemble

(MUSC 1915 -003)

Mosaic is an advance soprano and alto vocal ensemble that presents choral programs of classical, folk, popular and global repertoire. Rehearsals are held on Wednesdays from 4:35-5:40pm in Ryder Hall. Register for MUSC 1915, Section 003, listed under Chamber Ensemble.

Faculty

Dr. Katherine Chan

Director of Choral Activities & Assistant Professor of Music

Contact: k.chan@northeastern.edu

Australian conductor, Dr. Katherine Chan, is known for her energy and enthusiasm on the podium. As Director of Choral Activities and Associate Teaching Professor of Music at Northeastern University, Dr. Chan conducts the Northeastern University Choral Society (Chorus), Chamber Singers, Mosaic Advance Treble Ensemble, and teaches courses in conducting, music theory, and piano. A sought-after choral clinician, Dr. Chan also serves as the Artistic Director of Boston Choral Ensemble, and Associate Conductor and Director of Community Engagement for the Back Bay Chorale, Boston.

Dr. Chan has presented and performed at prestigious international festivals and conventions, including: Australia National Choral Association (ANCA) Choralfest National Convention and state conventions, National Conductors’ Symposium, Canada, and American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Conventions (graduate conducting masterclass with John Nelson, and placed among the top four finalists at the National Graduate Conducting Competition 2017). Chan has also been a conducting scholar with Maestro Helmuth Rilling, conducting at Oregon Bach Festival, Taipei Bach Festival and Hong Kong SingFest. Other notable engagements include work with Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Minnesota Chorale, Xi’an Symphony Chorus (China), and selection as one of the top-12 finalists at the 2019 World Choral Conducting Competition, Hong Kong.

Prior relocation to the United States, Dr. Chan was extensively involved in Australia’s choral community. She held positions on National Council, and Queensland & Northern Territory State Committee for Australian National Choral Association (ANCA). She held numerous positions throughout Australia including as the musical director of Choral Connection, choir director St Andrew’s Uniting Church, Brisbane, and musical director of the Queensland Chapter of Australia Youth Choir (a division of the National Institute of Youth Performing Arts Australia).

In addition to conducting, Dr. Chan also actively performs as a soprano and pianist/accompanist. As a soprano, she toured Italy with the Brisbane Concert Choir, and performed as a core member of Fusion Vocal Ensemble, performing at the 10th World Choral Symposium in South Korea in 2014. As a pianist/accompanist, Chan has also been a collaborator for Queensland Opera and The Queensland Pops orchestra.

Dr. Chan received her Bachelor of Music Performance and Pedagogy in piano from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Griffith University, and won numerous awards including the Brisbane Women’s Club and Yvonne Hayson Bursary, the Ruby C. Cooling Piano Bursary, and M. K. Lassell Piano Scholarship. She received her Master of Music degree in choral conducting from the University of Washington, and Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from the University of Minnesota (UMN) under the mentorship of Kathy Saltzman Romey and Matthew Mehaffey.

Dr. Maja Tremiszewska

Accompanist

Native of Poland Dr. Maja Tremiszewska is a classically trained concert pianist, accompanist and music educator. She has been performing as a soloist and collaborative pianist since she moved to Boston in 2003, after receiving her Masters of Music in Piano Performance from Gdańsk Academy of Music in Poland. Upon completing a Graduate Performance Diploma at the Boston Conservatory, she was employed as a staff pianist for its vocal and instrumental departments, the position she held for ten years. In the spring of 2014 Dr. Tremiszewska graduated from Boston University with the Doctorate of Musical Arts in Collaborative Piano, where she received a Graduate Assistantship, Dean’s Scholarship and a Collaborative Piano Department Honors Award. Between 2010 and 2016 she was employed to serve as a vocal coach and staff pianist at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, an esteemed summer program for high-school singers and instrumentalists.

Dr. Tremiszewska frequently serves as a rehearsal pianist for Boston opera companies. As an Emerging Artist for Boston Lyric Opera, she served as a rehearsal pianist for the company’s production of Stravinsky’s Rake’s Progress and performed recitatives on harpsichord for the same production at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theater. She collaborated with MetroWest Opera, Guerilla Opera, Boston.

Dr. Tremiszewska resides in Belmont, MA with her family and serves as a pianist/organist at St. Mary's of Assumption Parish in Brookline, MA.