The Pasadena Chorale Announces New Partnership With The Collegiate Choral Composition Community

The Pasadena Chorale has announced a new partnership with The Collegiate Choral Composition Community (The CCCC) for the 10th annual Listening to the Future program, further expanding its commitment to spotlighting emerging composers.

Since its inception, Listening to the Future has provided local high school students with the opportunity to work with professional composer mentors, write original choral works, and hear them performed by the award-winning Pasadena Chorale. To celebrate the program’s milestone 10th year, the Chorale is teaming up with The CCCC—the nation’s most extensive catalog of choral music by student composers—to expand the program to include collegiate voices.

This year’s Listening to the Future concert, set for Saturday, June 20, 2026, will feature two acts: Act I will highlight new works from local high school composers, while Act II will present compositions by college composers selected nationwide through The CCCC’s call for scores, as well as “greatest hits” from the past decade of the program. Selected collegiate composers will also be invited to Pasadena to hear their works performed live and will receive professional recordings of their pieces.

“I am amazed at how far Listening to the Future has come over the past decade,” said Jeffrey Bernstein, Pasadena Chorale’s Founding Artistic & Executive Director. “It has been inspiring to watch the students of our program grow into confident, creative composers. This partnership with The CCCC allows us to continue championing emerging voices by now bringing the work of collegiate composers to the stage.”

Sammy Strent, founder & CEO of The Collegiate Choral Composition Community, added, “The CCCC is thrilled to be collaborating with the Pasadena Chorale on Listening to the Future. We are excited to provide collegiate composers with this opportunity to work with such a high-caliber ensemble that is passionate about bringing new music to life.”

Founded in 2023, The CCCC supports and promotes choral music by collegiate composers, connecting them with conductors and ensembles to bring their work to performance.

For more information on Listening to the Future, visit pasadenachorale.org/listening-to-the-future.