About the NewHampshire Friendship Chorus

The New Hampshire Friendship Chorus was created to share the love of music and build bridges of international understanding. Our tours are a careful blend of the appreciation of cross-cultural friendship and travel. It seeks to promote the open and broad participation and goodwill of anyone supporting our mission.

Since its inception in 1987, the Friendship Chorus has performed worldwide.
Past concert locations include:

• China in 1988
• New Zealand and Australia in 1990
• Russia, Estonia and Latvia in 1992;
• Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia in 1996;
• South Africa in 1998;
• Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Austria in 2000;
• Korea and Vietnam in 2002;
• Brazil in 2004;
• China in 2006;
• Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro in 2008;
• Morocco in 2010.

Each tour is self-supporting. In most concerts the Friendship Chorus shares the same stage with host choruses, often the sponsors as well. The Friendship Chorus performs gratis, while concert proceeds are used to defray venue expenses and support local charities.

Our members come from all walks of life, and though we come from all over New England, most of us come from the State of New Hampshire. The Friendship Chorus has always been dynamic in make-up, including both singer participants and leadership. The group re-forms for each tour. The chorus is non-auditioned and includes a broad range of abilities and ages. Singers are asked to indicate their performance experience on their applications. A reasonably mandatory rehearsal policy is maintained.

Tour repertoire often includes a few pieces to be performed with host choirs in the indigenous languages, but otherwise generally reflects American choral practices. Rehearsals usually begin with a fall week retreat in the odd year; then resume in the spring of the tour year. There are about nine rehearsals altogether. Singers are issued scores and practice CDs at the fall retreat.

It has been said that NHFC boldly goes where few state choruses have gone before. Destinations are chosen considering the timeliness of local reception and the pragmatism of travel arrangements.