University of Montana Choral Program

2026 UM All-Star Choir Festival Part 2!

Enjoy these pictures from the dress rehearsal and concert of this year's All-Star Choir Festival! We are already looking forward to next year's festival!

Mark your calendars now: 2027 UM All-Star Honor Choir — February 26-28, 2027, featuring the introduction of the UM All-Star Advanced Treble Honor Choir in addition to our usual mixed-voice ensemble (SATB)! Clinician to be announced soon. Stay tuned for more details!

2026 UM All-Star Choir Part 1!

We were so pleased to host over 140 high school students from Montana (and a few from Idaho) for our annual All-Star Choir Festival! These students spent three days rehearsing under the direction of Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand, a world-renowned conductor and educator.

These students also got to work side-by-side with UM Choir Members! Our student volunteers spent all weekend chaperoning, singing with, and getting to know them!

Following our trip to Tacoma, we were visited by Billings Senior High School. This ensemble had the opportunity to work with Dr. Hirner, and some Chamber Chorale members during the day!

We love getting the opportunity to collaborate with young musicians! (And hopefully some future Griz singers!)

Chamber Chorale spent the first week of March at the 2026 Northwest ACDA Regional Conference.

During our trip, we performed with the Collegiate Showcase Choir (conducted by Dr. Tram Sparks), performed for the Conducting Masterclass, and sang as a demonstration choir for Dr. Hirner's interest session!

Our singers got to spend so much quality time together and grow as an ensemble during this trip! Whether it was bus ride karaoke, exploring Tacoma, or making new friends from our region, we all made memories that will last a lifetime!

This was truly an incredible experience for Chamber Chorale, and gave us a lot of exposure and performance opportunities which shed light on the amazing things happening in the UM Choral Department!

We started our semester with a February recruitment tour to different high schools in Great Falls and Helena!

This three-day tour in central Montana consisted of performances for, by, and with these schools, workshops by Dr. Hirner, and meeting some future Grizzlies face to face!

The UM Choral Program is thrilled to present our final concert of the 2025-2026 year: "The Change We Need"

We hope to see you there!

Purchase Tickets:
https://griztix.evenue.net/event/PA26/SOM0424
Livestream:
https://www.youtube.com/live/Lfn3N-oFyz4?si=EdbIiHGvKKpHSB8r

Our choirs have had an incredible year! Stay tuned to our account over the next few weeks leading up to our final concert to see some of our favorite memories!

Chamber Chorale is so excited to represent Montana this week at

Come see us perform and stop by our booth to say hi to the choir throughout the conference! 🎶

BREAKING NEWS! The UM Choral Program has been allotted a NEW graduate assistantship, starting Fall 2026! $12,000 annual stipend + full tuition waiver; options for 1 or 2 years.

See the attached flyer and position description (https://bit.ly/umchoirta) for application information and other details. Application review begins March 1, continues until filled.

Please share with anyone that may be interested!

Jackson Bautista is a sophomore at the University of Montana, double majoring in Music Education and Trumpet Performance. He is passionate about music at every level and is a member of six ensembles at the university, including the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, and Chamber Chorale where he serves as the Bass 2 section leader. Despite only being in his second year, Bautista is an officer in UM's ACDA student chapter and has already been featured as a guest conductor for the University Concert Band, Chamber Chorale, Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble, and Horn Choir in addition to conducting at several of his peers’ recitals. Even though he is primarily an instrumentalist, singing in choir is a defining part of Bautista's musical journey, and he feels deeply inspired by the power and community of choral singing.

Join us for this year's performances!

Sunday, November 9, 3:00PM | Dennison Theatre — As in a Dream: Voices of Our Past. Our Present. Our Future.

Tuesday, December 2, 7:30PM | Dennison Theatre — A Winter Day: A Student Showcase & Choral Program Fundraiser

January 20-21, 2026 | Helena, Great Falls, Kalispel — University of Montana Tour

Saturday, February 28, 7:30PM | Dennison Theatre — Stronger Together

March 4-7, 2026 | Tacoma, WA — UM Chamber Chorale at the NWACDA Regional Conference

Friday, April 24, 7:30PM | Dennison Theatre — The Change We Need

Tickets available on https://griztix.evenue.net/