Structure
The PBA's after school program has groups with boys ranging from age 4 to age 18. The groups roughly correspond to age, but also experience. From youngest to oldest, the after school groups are Prelude, Minstrels, Intermezzi, Cantori, Trouveres, Changed Voices, and Continuum.
(The Troubador group is made up of boys that attend the day school).
prelude
The Prelude classes are for preschoolers who don't yet know how to read. These classes are not in a choir-format, but are designed for boys to explore their musicianship, enjoy making music, and reinforce natural abilities with pitch and rhythm. The Prelude class meets once a week for an hour.
Grades: Pre K
Director: Carmen Trefil
Rehearsals: Wednesday afternoons
minstrels
The Minstrel choir is the youngest and most inexperienced choir in the Pacific Boychoir Academy, typically ages six and seven. Minstrels begin their PBA experience by learning all about music and teamwork. They work with Orff instruments to internalize beats and familiarize themselves with rhythmic patterns. Their music theory work focuses on the basics of music reading and singing, the different kinds of notes, how to breathe properly, etc.
The Minstrels typically perform twice a year. Along with Intermezzi, the Minstrels may attend an overnight retreat once a year where they can get to know each other better and learn additional musical concepts. In the summer, Minstrels choristers may attend PBA's Summer Music Daycamp.
Grades: K-3
Director: Stella Brown
Rehearsals: Wednesday afternoons
intermezzi
The Intermezzi choir is comprised of boys who have been promoted from Minstrels or who have some musical experience, ages eight and nine. In Intermezzi, choristers start to focus on repertoire and singing in parts. The director works with them on singing vowels and consonants. The Intermezzi music theory work consists of rhythm and solfege (Do-Re-Mi) work with the aim of having choristers read notes in a piece of music and not just words.
Intermezzi choristers perform three to four times a year, participate in a weekend tour to Monterey, and may attend an overnight retreat where they can get to know each other better and learn additional musical concepts. In the summer, Intermezzi choristers may attend PBA's Summer Music Daycamp.
Grades: 1-4
Director: Billy Sauerland
Assistant Director: Marcia Roy
Rehearsals: Wednesday afternoons
cantori
The Cantori choir is a performance choir comprised of boys roughly ages 8 to 11. These choristers often have the opportunity to travel around the Bay Area and the United States to give performances. Their rehearsals are repertoire-intensive, where they sing in two to three parts and continue more advanced music-reading techniques. Cantori have toured Arizona, Southern California, the Pacific Northwest, Canada, and Hawaii.
Grades: 3-6
Director: Leann Conley-Holcom
Rehearsals: Monday and Wednesday afternoons
trouveres
The Trouvere choir is a subset of the Cantori choir. This elite subset is comprised of boys ages 10 to 14, and their goal is to be one of the best after school boys choirs in America. These choristers learn a more sophisticated repertoire and occasionally sing with the Troubadors. They have performed with the San Francisco Symphony and at events around the Bay Area, in addition to performing and touring with Cantori.
Grades: 5-8
Director: Leann Conley-Holcom
Rehearsals: Monday and Wednesday afternoons
continuum
Continuum, a challenging, fast-paced performance choir, is comprised of young men ages 13 to 18 in high school with changed voices. This group is by audition and is limited to 12 voices. Continuum members read music well and often sing in four to eight parts. Many of these young men have been singing with the Pacific Boychoir Academy for five to 10 years, though some come from other choir backgrounds as well. The choir director selects challenging and varied repertoire, making Continuum one of the finest high school-age tenor and bass choirs you'll find anywhere.
Grades: 9-12
Director: Kevin Fox
Creative Consultant: Chris Crawford, A Cappella Records
Rehearsals: Monday and Wednesday evenings
You can also find Continuum on
changed voices
Members of the Changed Voices choir are former Troubador or Trouvere members whose voices have changed. They typically are between the ages of 13 and 18. Either by choice or because their voices are not settled enough to be in Continuum, or because there are no Continuum openings, Changed Voices choristers rehearse and perform only with the SATB choir. They often participate in a summer tour and a summer camp. Their musical training allows them to read music well and adapt their techniques to a new instrument: their changed voice.
Grades: 8-12
Director: Kevin Fox
Rehearsals: Monday evenings