Sonoran Desert Chorale Announces Dr. Carric Smolnik as New Artistic Director

To begin its 26th Season, the Sonoran Desert Chorale is announcing the appointment of new Artistic Director, Dr. Carric Smolnik. With the retirement of Founding Director Jeff Harris at the end of the Chorale's 25th Season, an extensive search was conducted to find a new director and Dr. Smolnik was selected from a field of more than 20 candidates.

Dr. Smolnik holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from Arizona State University and a Master of Music, Choral Conducting and Bachelor of Music, Piano Performance from Brigham Young University. He comes to the Chorale from his previous post as assistant conductor and pianist for Orpheus Men's Chorus of Phoenix. His experience also includes five years as Artistic Director of Arizona Deseret Choir and six years as Artistic Director of Impressions, a choral chamber ensemble.

Dr. Smolnik has long loved choral music. Throughout his career, he has worked with mixed, men's, and women's choruses. While he enjoyed all types of choral ensembles, his favorite is the mixed chorus. He loves the breadth of repertoire that is available and the vast range of notes that can be covered through a combination of men's and women's voices.

The Chorale warmly welcomes Dr. Smolnik and eagerly anticipates the 26th Season. Concerts begin on Saturday and Sunday, October 5 and 6, 2019.

Sonoran Desert Chorale was founded in 1994 and is led by Artistic Director, Dr. Carric Smolnik. Since its inception, the group has become a highly regarded and sophisticated choral organization, presenting musical compositions from cultures around the globe as well as important pieces from the European and American music traditions. Concerts frequently include guest performances and collaborations with distinguished artists and organizations in the community such as the Phoenix Children's Chorus, The Southwest Brass, Run Boy Run, Mesa Caledonian Pipe Band and the Four Seasons Symphony. The Chorale has engaged in six international concert tours, with performances throughout Europe, including Venice, Rome, Florence, Vienna, Salzburg, Prague, Budapest, Ljubljana, Bayeux, Chartres, Galway, Dublin, and Edinburgh. The Chorale was invited to perform with Broadway superstar Michael Crawford for the inaugural concert of the $150 million Mesa Arts Center. The Chorale was selected to appear at the Western Division Convention of the American Choral Directors Association in Salt Lake City, UT.