We are . . . Excellence Family United Community The Dripping Springs Choirs!

— ENSEMBLES —

We are UNITED in song!

 Tenor-Bass Choir

A choir of 9th grade tenors and basses, as well as tenors and basses who have no prior choir experience. Students will begin by learning the basics and fundamentals of vocal production, sight singing, and music theory, and will perform in all required choir concerts, including UIL Concert and Sightreading Evaluation as a Junior Varsity Tenor-Bass Choir.

(Beginner – Tenors and Basses Grades 9-12)

Treble Choir

A choir of 9th grade sopranos and altos, as well as sopranos and altos who have no prior choir experience. Students will begin by learning the basics and fundamentals of vocal production, sight singing, and music theory, and will perform in all required choir concerts, including UIL Concert and Sightreading Evaluation as a Junior Varsity Treble Choir.

(Beginner Level – Sopranos & Altos Grade 9, or 1st year in Choir)

 Bella Voce

A choir of 10th-12th grade sopranos and altos who have had previous choral experience (whether in middle school or high school). Students will review basics and fundamentals of vocal production, sight singing, and music theory, and will progress to more advanced concepts within choral singing. Students in this choir will participate in all required choir concerts, and have the opportunity to perform with Chamber Choir Sopranos and Altos as a Varsity Treble Choir in UIL Concert and Sightreading Evaluation.

(Intermediate/Advanced Treble Choir – Sopranos and Altos Grades 10-12)

 Chamber Choir

A choir of 10th-12th grade singers who have had previous experience in high school choir. The choir will briefly review basics and fundamentals of choral singing but will focus on advanced concepts of choral singing. Admittance to this ensemble is through audition or director approval only. This choir will participate in all required choir concerts, as well as many additional performance opportunities, including TMEA All-State Choir Auditions, UIL Solo and Ensemble Competition, and in UIL Concert and Sightreading Evaluation as a Varsity Mixed Choir.

(Varsity – Grades 10-12, Audition Only)

 Jazz Cats

A vocal jazz ensemble of 10th-12th grade singers who have had previous experience in high school choir. This choir is an optional, additional ensemble to be taken concurrently with Varsity Chamber Choir. Students may only be admitted to this group via auditions, held in April or May of the previous school year. The ensemble will perform a variety of music genres, including vocal jazz, a cappella, pop, blues, musical theatre, and more. This choir will perform at all required choir concerts, as well as additional community performances throughout the school year. They will also compete in the UIL Solo and Ensemble Competition in the spring.

(Varsity – Grades 10-12, Audition Only; MUST be concurrently enrolled in Chamber Choir)

— OUR DIRECTOR —

Mrs. Courtney Aguilar
Director, DSHS Choirs

Courtney Aguilar

 

Courtney Aguilar (formerly Neva) is the Head Choral Director at Dripping Springs High School. This is Ms. Neva’s twelfth year of teaching, and her fourth year as a Dripping Springs Tiger! Previously, Mrs. Aguilar taught for five years at East View High School in Georgetown, for two years at Clear Lake High School in the south Houston area, and for one year at Fulmore Middle School in Austin.

Mrs. Aguilar graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Music Education degree and earned her Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Texas State University. Mrs. Aguilar has been involved in numerous choral ensembles and music organizations since grade school. At Baylor, she was a member of the A Cappella Choir (where she also served as social chair and president) and Chamber Singers, as well as an officer in the music fraternity, Mu Phi Epsilon.

Since her graduation, Mrs. Aguilar has performed with the St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church choir, the St. David’s Episcopal Church Choir, the Amphion Youth Choir (where she also served as a section leader and advisory board member), the Life in the City UMC Worship Team, and the Conspirare Symphonic Choir, all located in Austin. She is also a member of such professional organizations as the Texas Music Educators Association and Texas Choral Directors Association.

Mrs. Aguilar currently serves as the Region 18 Vocal Division Chair, is the Youth Choir Director for the Austin Artists Project’s “Sing Out” performance supporting LGBTQIA+ persons and causes in the performing arts, which will take place in New York City at Lincoln Center in June 2022, and is the administrator and rehearsal conductor for KI Concert’s Dublin and Belfast Choir Festival with Craig Hella Johnson, which will take place in July 2022.

Mrs. Aguilar lives in Buda, Texas with her husband, Rudy, and enjoys cooking, reading, and crafting.

Contact Mrs. Aguilar

— CALENDAR —

A Triumphant Return to In-Person Music Making!

Here is a list of our performances for the 2021-2022 School Year!

The DSHS Chamber Choir will perform the National Anthem at every home football game this season! Click here for the 2021-2022 DSHS Football Schedule.

“Falling into Winter” Concert – Wednesday, November 17th at 7:00 pm in the Dripping Springs High School Auditorium. Admission is free! Join us for a festive concert that will highlight all 5 choral ensembles in the DSHS Choir program. You will hear familiar tunes from the genres of classical music, pop, R&B, and you will hear some treasured holiday songs as well!

Jazz Cats Coffee House – Friday, February 4th at 7:00 PM in the Dripping Springs High School Cafeteria. Ticket Prices TBD. Join us for our annual Jazz Cats performance and fundraiser! With your ticket, you will enjoy complimentary coffee and tea, as well as delicious donated desserts, and you will have the opportunity to bid on some amazing cakes to take home. Proceeds from this fundraiser go towards Jazz Cats uniforms and their transportation and performance costs for public performances throughout the school year. We appreciate your support and hope to see you there! If you are a local bakery and would like to contribute a cake to our cake auction, please contact Mrs. Aguilar at Courtney.Aguilar@dsisdtx.us!

Pre-UIL Concert – Tuesday, February 22nd at 7:00 PM in the Dripping Springs High School Auditorium. Come and support our students as they prepare for the annual UIL Concert and Sightreading Evaluation in March. This concert is free and open to the public and will feature performances of excellent choral musicianship from all choirs in the Dripping Springs HS Choir Program.

UIL Concert and Sightreading Evaluation – March 7 and 8 at the Hays CISD Performing Arts Center. The public is welcome to attend this showcase of high school choirs from around Region 18 (Austin ISD, Bastrop ISD, Del Valle ISD, Dripping Springs ISD, Hays CISD, Wimberley ISD) as they are evaluated in the areas of choral performance (Concert) and sightreading. Each choir is evaluated by a panel of 3 concert judges and 3 sightreading judges and given a rating based on their performance. The Dripping Springs High School Choir has earned numerous Superior Ratings at UIL Concert and Sightreading Evaluation and boasts many “Sweepstakes” (all Superior Ratings) Awards over the course of many years!

Bistro Night – Saturday, April 9th at 4:00 PM. (Location and Ticket Pricing TBD – Stay Tuned!) Bistro Night is a night of musical theatre fun! This is our DS Choir Boosters’ annual fundraiser, and a showcase of our students’ musical theatre talents. There will be performances from all ensembles in the DSHS Choir program, as well as featured solo and duet performances from our choir students. There will be amazing food, incredible singing and dancing, and an opportunity to financially support the DS Choir Boosters, who support the DSISD Choirs in travel, outreach, and performances throughout the community and abroad!

Pop Show – Thursday, May 12th at 7:00 PM in the Dripping Springs HS Auditorium. Join us in our final performance of the year as we honor our Senior Class of 2022 and hear all choral ensembles of the DSHS Choir showcase their skills in the area of popular music! You’ll hear a variety of performances, from both choirs and individual students, as they perform rock songs, pop ballads, country tunes, R&B jams, and much more! This is one of the most fun performances of our school year, and we hope you’ll join us! Admission is FREE!

Click here for our FULL 2021-2022 DSHS Choir Calendar

— BOOSTERS —

More Than Just Our Biggest Fans!

The Choir Boosters are here  to support our choir students, increase awareness of the wonderful choir program at DSHS, and raise funds that allow the program to continue to excel. Our most passionate cause is ensuring that we can provide scholarships for our choir students. These unique scholarships are not only available to graduating seniors pursuing college, but also to current students who would like attend a choral summer camp or take voice lessons to build on their natural talent.

If you would like more information about how you can contribute your time, talent or treasure to this vital program, please email us, or join the boosters now using the button below!

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