New South Festival Singers

Thirty-Ninth Concert Season, 2023-2024
Atlanta’s Beloved A Cappella Choir

Auditions now being scheduled for the 2023-2024 Concert Season

To schedule your audition: Click Here
OR you may email Music Director Lynn Swanson at LSwanson@FestivalSingers.org

”Sensuous tonal beauty….a level of balance, blend, intonation and expressiveness that puts the average community chorus to shame…”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

”…the South’s premier a cappella choir…exceptional tone and ferocious emotion…”
The Charleston Post & Courier

“…inspiring and exhilarating.”
The (New Orleans) Times Picayune

Lynn Swanson, MME, Music Director William O. Baker, DMA Founder & Executive Director
Scott Smith, MBA, Choral Associate & Administrator
Jamea Sale, PhD, Executive Associate Director
Sean Sweeden, DMA, Composer in Residence

Founded in 1985 by William Baker as Gwinnett Festival Singers, known from 1998-2015 as William Baker Festival Singers, and in recent years as New South Festival Singers, the Choral Foundation's oldest ensemble has a rich history of artistic accomplishment. The 40-voice chorale specializes in sacred, short-form a cappella classics, music of present day composers, and spirituals from across the globe, in addition to annual performances of choral/orchestral masterworks. In addition to numerous appearances on local television programs across the South, and national radio programs such as Performance Today and The Sounds of Majesty, the choir has performed at regional conventions of the American Choral Directors Association, the National Association for Music Education, and the American Guild of Organists. The Festival Singers has been a favorite of Charleston's Piccolo Spoleto Festival, performing annually to capacity audiences since 1989. The Festival Singers has a nearly 40 year heritage of recordings that are available on CD nationwide and on iTunes, YouTube, Spotify and other digital platforms under the name William Baker Festival Singers. Their newest recording, Legacies of Light, the first under the New South Festival Singers name, was released in December 2023.

Following the retirement of the Founder after a 30-year tenure, the Festival Singers is now led by Lynn Swanson who served as Associate Music Director from 2009-2015.

The Atlanta-based New South Festival Singers has performed a large body of choral/orchestral masterworks including the Requiems of Durufle, Faure, Mozart and Brahms, Bach's St. John Passion, Magnificat, Mass in B minor, and numerous chorale cantatas, Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb and Festival Te Deum, Kodaly's Laudes organi, Stravinsky's Mass and Symphony of Psalms, Mendelssohn's Elijah, and other masterworks from Tallis to Bernstein.

The New South Festival Singers is a professional-level volunteer chorale. Auditions are conducted in the spring and summer and mid-season. Openings for voice parts are based on current personnel. For additional questions, please contact Music Director, Lynn Swanson at LSwanson@FestivalSingers.org.

2009 Introit & Kyrie from the Fauré Requiem - YouTube
2013 Communio from the Mozart Requiem - YouTube
2010 Gardner: Healer in the House - YouTube
2016 Lars Magnus Béen: Sköna Maj Välkommen sung in Swedish at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, Charleston, SC - YouTube
2015 American/Lane: Amazing Grace - YouTube
2015 Spiritual/Hogan: Music Down in My Soul - YouTube
2022 Sweeden: Over the Rainbow - YouTube
2022 Alice Parker: O Thou in Whose Presence at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, Charleston, SC - YouTube
2022 Elder: Lullaby from Three Nocturnes - YouTube
2023 Janis M. Lane: Amazing Grace - YouTube
2023 Robert DeCormier: Let Me Fly - YouTube
2023 Karin Banks: Pacem - YouTube