BCCO was founded 60 years ago as a community chorus singing symphonic choral repertoire. Its founding principles are still core to the chorus today: anybody can sing (no auditions), we perform with a live orchestra, and we give free concerts. Our members have a wide range of experience, from those who have been in choral groups all their lives and take voice lessons to those who have always wanted to try to sing again since they were told in sixth grade chorus to sit at the back of the room and do math homework instead of open their mouths. Our music director, Ming Luke, is committed to the idea that everybody can sing. We aspire to prepare works to a high standard, something that he believes we can achieve if we all try together.
Key dates
BCCO rehearses on Monday nights from 7-9:30 pm at St John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave, Berkeley 94705. Key dates for the spring 2026 semester are:
- Monday rehearsals from February 2, 2026 through May 18, 2026 (skipping Memorial Day, May 25)
- Saturday “all-day” rehearsal: date TBD (10-noon rehearsal – lunch break – 1-3 pm rehearsal)
- Monday June 9, rehearsal with orchestra and soloists: 7-10 pm
- Tuesday June 10, rehearsal with orchestra and soloists: 7-10 pm
- Concerts June 12-14, 2026
Repertoire
This spring the concert program includes:
Haydn, Requiem
Schachter, Terezin Requiem (premiere, BCCO commission)
Beethoven, Fidelio Overture (orchestra only)
Fees
Singers pay tuition and can optionally order vocal scores from BCCO. Tuition is $230 per semester. The vocal score for this semster is an additional $40. Scores are distributed at the first rehearsals (though we often arrange for pickup locations(s) in Berkeley a few weeks ahead for those who want an early start.)
Attendance
Singers must attend 50% of rehearsals to be eligible to re-register for the following semester. If a singer misses more than 4 Monday rehearsals per semester, then their seat on the concert stage is not assured: they must speak to their section leaders about their preparation and optionally “sing for Ming” to demonstrate readiness.
Assistant Conductor
Opportunities for classical music conductors to gain experience on the podium are hard to come by. It’s difficult to get this experience without a job, and impossible to get such a job without experience! Since his arrival at BCCO 12 years ago, Ming instituted a conductor mentoring program, and BCCO has funded a salaried assistant conductor position. Our current assistant, Natalia Ter Agapova, will be beginning her second semester with us. The assistant conductor often leads warmups, sectionals, and some portions of rehearsals and concerts.
Sectionals and practice materials
We offer free audio practice tracks and videos on our website (plus phyical CDs) to members to help in learning the music. We also schedule Sunday afternoon sectionals through the semester – usually two voice sections per session. These are optional but recommended.
Chorus size
We typically place ~150 singers on the concert stage. Because of demand, the chorus has grown to 50% more than that number. Consequently, singers rotate during a 3-day concert weekend, with everybody singing two concerts on average.
Public Health
Presently, masking is optional at our rehearsals and concerts (most singers these days participate unmasked). We monitor Covid levels in the Bay Area – particularly via wastewater data – to estimate the amount of Covid in our community. Our goal is to prevent our events from being the source of spread to others. Should Covid levels rise above a threshold, we could re-impose a masking requirement. Meanwhile, to reduce spread of respiratory diseases generally, we open all windows in the sanctuary where we rehearse, so bring a sweater!