Carson Chamber Singers, Judy Monson, Director

The Carson Chamber Singers, an affiliate of the Carson City Symphony, formed in 1985 and premiered at that year's "Holiday Treat" concerts. Each year, the Singers participate in the Symphony's "Holiday Treat" and "Pops Party" concerts and the Reno Philharmonic's Fourth of July concert, "Pops in the Park," in Genoa. They have also performed separately at the Brewery Arts Center, Carson City Community Center, Old Assembly Chambers, First United Methodist Church, and Western Nevada Community College in Carson City; at St. Mary in the Mountains in Virginia City; and for private functions.
The select group of singers performs a varied repertoire of classical, popular, seasonal, and contemporary compositions. They have performed Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Orff's Carmina Burana, Mahler's Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection), Borodin's Polovtsian Dances, and Brahms' German Requiem with the Reno Philharmonic. In April 2000, they presented a concert in honor and celebration of eight performing groups in Carson City. In October 2000, they were featured in the premiere performance of the Carson City Symphony's Continental Harmony composition, A Land of Sage and Sun. They were honored to sing at opening ceremonies for the 2005 Nevada Legislature, the 2006 National VFW Convention, and the 2007 National American Legion Convention.

Carson Chamber Singers performing on a June "Pops Party" Concert

Judy Monson, Director of Carson Chamber Singers

Judy Monson, founder and director of the Carson Chamber Singers, director of the Sierra Nevada Children's Choir - Dolce Choir, and former director of the Sierra Boys Choir and Celebration! girls choir, has a music degree from the Cherubini Conservatory in Florence, Italy, and a Master's in voice from San Francisco State University. She taught voice for four years at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, and has directed and sung with numerous performing groups in California, Nevada, Washington, and Maryland, and in Europe.

Locally, Ms. Monson has performed solo recitals at the Brewery Arts Center and has been featured as soloist with the Carson City Symphony, Sierra Sage Chorale, and Bella Voce women's choral ensemble. She is Director of Music at the First United Methodist Church in Carson City, sings with Bella Voce, is a Music Specialist at Elizabeth Lenz Elementary School in Reno, a vocal instructor at the University of Nevada, Reno, and teaches voice privately in Carson City and Reno.

Ms. Monson also has been on the faculty of Western Nevada College. She directed the 1993 and 2002 Washoe County School District Sixth Grade Honor Choirs, coached the children's choirs for two of the Reno Philharmonic's Carmina Burana productions, and was guest conductor of the 2001 and 2005 Northern Nevada Junior High Honor Choruses. In April 2008, she led a choral-reading session at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, for part of the NMEA All-State Convention.

In July 2010, Ms. Monson plans to travel with three local choirs -- Bella Voce, Sierra Nevada Children's Choir, and the McQueen Core Jazz Ensemble -- to participate in the annual World Choir Games (the Olympics of choral music) in Shaoxing, China.