About Gotham Rock Choir

GOTHAM ROCK CHOIR is New York City’s first choir devoted exclusively to the performance of Pop, Rock and Soul music.

Founded in 2009, GRC was  formed to provide an outlet for vocalists of all levels and backgrounds to explore contemporary music in a supportive and fun environment, to provide an alternative to the city’s many traditional choirs, and to bring a much-needed sense of “cool” to choral singing.

The Choir is comprised of 50-60 members and attracts a variety of vocalists from all walks of life–everything from from show business professionals to avid shower singers. Despite our disparate backgrounds, all of our members have one thing in common: a real passion for singing.

GRC’s repertoire is drawn from the history of Pop music, from 1960 to today, and focuses primarily on Rock, Pop, Soul and related genres. Some of the music we’ve performed includes songs originally by artists such as Elton John, Green Day, Billy Joel, Bon Jovi, Natasha Bedingfield, Jackie Wilson, Kings of Leon, Stevie Wonder, Queen, The Beatles, Journey, Madonna and many others.

Join Gotham Rock Choir

NYC’S HOTTEST CHOIR IS NOW ACCEPTING NEW MEMBERS!
Cycle 5–running January-June, 2012.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

How often are rehearsals?
We rehearse on Tuesday evenings from 7-9 PM at a rehearsal space on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

What kind of music do you perform?
GRC’s repertoire consists of Rock, Pop, Soul and Motown hits from the 60s through today. Our past repertoire has included well-known songs made famous by artists such as Bon Jovi, Queen, Kings Of Leon, Tina Turner, Bob Marley, The Beatles, Jackie Wilson and many others. It’s the kind of music many people grew up listening to. For each concert, we’ll learn an eclectic range of songs from different eras and genres.

Is this some kind of “religious” choir?
No. GRC is a secular choir with no affiliation with any religious organization or church of any kind.

Is GRC an a cappella group?
No. We’re a mixed (women and men) accompanied choir. But we occasionally work on a cappella (unaccompanied) pieces as a choir, and there are opportunities throughout the Cycle to work on them with small groups.

Where does GRC perform?
The choir has performed at a variety of venues in NYC, including The Triad, Medicine Show Theatre, Times Square Arts Center, off-Broadway’s Players Theatre, and the Knitting Factory.

Do I need to be an amazing singer?
Nope. All you  need to be a good choir member is a  love of singing & energy and passion both for the music and the choir itself. We consider those things far more important than technical skills such as music-reading ability or past experience. Even if the only singing you’ve ever done in your life has been in your shower, we can still use your voice. Singing is like any other skill, really–the more you do it, the better at it you’ll get.

Do I have to read music?
No, you don’t. We provide audio files for our material that allows our non-music-reading members to learn everything by ear, just like you’ve probably learned most of the songs you know right now. But we do work from sheet music in our rehearsals, so if you happen to read music, you can learn the songs that much faster. While we encourage people to learn to read music (it’s a great skill for a singer to have!) the fact is that if you have a great or even just good singing voice and a decent ear for music, you’ll do fine.

How much does it cost to join?
Currently we ask for a Member Fee of $170 per 6 month cycle. This comes out to $6.80 per rehearsal and is used to cover for rehearsal space rental, performance space rental, music costs, etc.

What is the expected level of commitment?

• Coming to Rehearsal and Learning the Music. We have to learn a challenging repertoire so you must be committed to learning your part. Therefore we ask that if you join GRC, you make a commitment to attend all or most of our Tuesday evening rehearsals, and work on the music in your spare time.
• Getting an Audience For Our Concerts. GRC members are also expected to help “fill the house” for our concerts. There’s nothing better than performing for a full house of enthusiastic audience members!

What can I hope to get out of being a member of GRC?
First and foremost, membership in GRC will develop and strengthen your musical and performance abilities, giving you a new sense self-confidence. And don’t underestimate the social benefits of being part of a group like GRC: you’ll be part of a community of friendly, like-minded people all working towards a common goal.

Sounds great! How do I join?

Send us a note by using the Contact page. Tell us a little about yourself–whether you’ve sung with a choir in the past, what vocal part you sing (if you happen to know it), whether you play any musical instruments, etc. Once we get your email, we’ll contact you and invite you to a rehearsal.

Book Gotham Rock Choir

Why bother with a band or a DJ? Get a choir instead!

Gotham Rock Choir is available to sing at your next event. We’re happy to lend our talents to charity benefits, weddings and the like.

Detailed information is available on request, but a couple of things to keep in mind:

• You must have a space large enough for the choir to perform in. Don’t forget that the choir has 50-60 members. In the event your space is too small to accommodate the full choir, let us know and we can send a smaller group.
• Since we perform to both recorded and live accompaniment, your performance space should have a sound system that’s capable of playing recorded music.

For more information, please use the Contact page.