H+H Youth Choruses
Chorus of Sopranos + Altos
"The teachers are amazing and they balance fun with learning very well." — HHYC Singer
Chorus of Sopranos and Altos (grades 9-12) is for singers who are eager to perform challenging and innovative repertoire for treble voices as part of an empowering and joyful community. CSA performs music from the Baroque and Classical periods, along with spirituals, jazz, folk songs, a cappella, and contemporary choral repertoire. The ensemble has sung at Symphony Hall and NEC’s Jordan Hall, most recently in performances of Martini Domine Ad Adjuvandum Me with the Chorus of Tenors and Basses and the H+H Orchestra. CSA has performed with the Back Bay Chorale, New England Philharmonic Orchestra, the Heritage Chorale, the Metropolitan Chorale, Winsor Music, and the NEC Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorale and has participated in festivals with the Radcliffe Choral Society and the Wellesley College Choir. In addition to performances throughout New England, CSA has toured in Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, and Ireland with the Chorus of Tenors and Basses. CSA opened the 2021-22 Season with a performance of Beethoven Symphony No. 9 under the direction of Marin Alsop for over 10,000 people at the Hatch Shell. This spring, the ensemble collaborates on a series of performances with Cappella Clausura.
Rehearsals
Rehearsals for the Chorus of Sopranos + Altos are on Saturdays at 9:50am-1:10pm. All CSA singers have a weekly ensemble rehearsal and musicianship class. Four levels of musicianship classes are offered for CSA singers. The HHYC season lasts from September to May. Rehearsals and classes take place at United Parish in Brookline.
Faculty
Alyson Greer Espinosa, conductor
Andrew Milne, associate conductor
Dr. Pei-yeh Tsai, collaborative pianist
Annina Hsieh, teaching assistant
Tuition
Tuition is $650 for the full year or $325 per semester. Full and partial scholarships are offered for families demonstrating financial need. Families registering more than one singer pay full tuition for one singer and reduced tuition for all additional singers from their household.
Watch + Listen
Faculty
Conductor
Alyson Greer Espinosa
Alyson Greer Espinosa is thrilled to be in her thirteenth season on the H+H Youth Choruses faculty where she is the conductor of the Chorus of Sopranos + Altos and the Chamber Choir. Ms. Greer has prepared CSA for performances with Harry Christophers and the H+H Chorus and Orchestra for Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion, Handel’s Messiah and Saul, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Mozart’s Requiem, and Monteverdi’s Vespers. Other ensemble collaborations include the Back Bay Chorale, Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus, Boston Musica Viva, MIT Concert Choir, Metropolitan Chorale, Heritage Chorale, the Eureka Ensemble Women’s Chorus, Mother Caroline Academy, and the NEC Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorale. The former Young Women’s Chamber Choir performed on From The Top and CSA was featured in BBC’s Great American Railroad Journeys under her direction in 2017. Such collaborations and performances have afforded Ms. Greer and her singers inspiring musical-educational performances with conductors such as Harry Christophers, Ian Watson, Dr. Scott Allen Jarrett, Dr. Andrew Clark, Dr. Lisa Graham, John Finney, Dr. Lynnel Jenkins, George Steel, and Ismael Sandoval.
In addition to her work with the H+H Youth Choruses, Ms. Greer is the Director of Choral Music at Westborough High School where she conducts four choirs and four contemporary a cappella ensembles. Her ensembles consistently earn gold ratings and medals at the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Directors Association (MICCA) and have performed at the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) All- State Convention Concert Hour. Ms. Greer is an active choral clinician, has conducted the Northeastern Massachusetts Sr. District High School Mixed Chorus, the Eastern Massachusetts Junior District Mixed Chorus, All-Cape High School Treble Chorus and the Southeastern Massachusetts, Jr. District Treble Choir, and has presented sessions at the Massachusetts All State Conference and the MICCA Summer Institute. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree (magna cum laude) in Vocal Performance and a Master of Music Education degree, both from The Boston Conservatory. Ms. Greer resides in MetroWest with her husband, son, and daughter.
Associate Conductor
Andrew Milne
An avid conductor, singer, and music educator based in Massachusetts, Andrew Milne is thrilled to be on the faculty of HHYC. He currently serves as Director of Choirs at Auburn High School in Auburn, MA, working with students in auditioned and non-auditioned ensembles, extra curricular ensembles, and theater. His students have been accepted to district, state, and national honor choirs as well as top college programs around the country. In addition to his conducting, Andrew is a regular chorister and has sung with choirs such as the internationally acclaimed choirs of Joyful Noise in Torrington, CT with Dr. Gabriel Lofvall, and the Worcester Chorus under Dr. Chris Shepard. His conducting teachers have included Dr. Vernon Huff, Dr. Edward Bolkovac, and Dr. Julie Hagen.
In 2014 Milne was honored as the recipient of the Evangelyna Etienne Scholarship Award given by H+H to a member of the HHYC community for commitment and passion for vocal music; he is an alum of HHYC. Mr. Milne is passionate about community music making, sparking a joy and love of singing in his students, and helping singers understand and navigate the voice change. Andrew is an active member of NAfME, ACDA, and Pi Kappa Lambda. He holds a Bachelor's in Music Education from SUNY Fredonia and a Master's in Music Education: Choral Conducting from The Hartt School, University of Hartford.
Collaborative Pianist
Dr. Peh-yeh Tsai
Born in Taiwan, Pianist Pei-yeh Tsai joined the HHYC faculty this season as the collaborative pianist for the Chorus of Sopranos and Altos and Chamber Choir She has appeared as a substitute pianist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, alongside as principal pianist for the Peoria Symphony and the New Bedford Symphony. Her performance is best described by cellist Yo-Yo Ma: “…a powerhouse of a pianist, and she plays with an incredible depth of soul"; by conductor and harpsichordist Nicolas Kraemer "...her ability to go beyond technique to forge an emotional connection between audience and music is quite noteworthy." Tsai has won prizes and grants in several international piano competitions, including the Aaron Richmond foundation, international New England Chamber Music Ensemble Competition; and the Special Viardo Prize at the Viardo International Piano Competition. Her performances can be heard on the Chicago Symphony website, WFMT, WTVP, WCTV, STV8. Tsai received her master’s degree from The Juilliard School and doctorate degree from Boston University.