By Maddie Miga

Exsultet! A Celebration of Voices is an all-female chorus group that’s been sharing their love of music since 2013. As they begin to prepare for their 2024-2025 season, the chorus will be holding auditions for new singers to perform in their annual showcases. 

Exsultet! was founded by Richard Larraga, the Artistic Director and Conductor of the chorus. Larraga also happens to be the Minister of Music at the First Congregational Church in Holliston, where the chorus often goes to perform and rehearse. Tania Carosi, one of the original members of Exsultet!, described how the chorus “brings a lot of happiness to the girls that participate in the group.” The chorus values being an outlet for talented singers to share their love of music with one another and their audiences.

The chorus holds two annual performances every year. This includes their Holiday Concert in early December and their Spring Concert in early May. Unlike other choral groups, Exsultet! “tells a story” during their performances by incorporating a mixture of songs, poetry, and readings. 

Each concert is typically built around a certain theme and follows a storyline written by the conductor. These performances also feature actors and actresses, making it “a mix between a play and a concert.” Carosi goes on to explain how the audience is able to “see and hear about a story” through the actors, while the chorus “performs songs that go along with those same emotions and feelings found in the plot. By doing this, we try to illustrate the theme that’s being conveyed in the story with both music and acting.”

For their Holiday Concerts, the chorus features various Christmas songs, Hanukkah songs, and other musical pieces that “bring in other cultures and traditions that people might not have exposure to.” And this past spring, Exsultet! performed a variety of romantic songs in their concert titled “You Are The One.” The performance followed the love story of one of the choir members and her husband, and became one of Carosi’s favorite Exsultet! concerts due to its authenticity and originality. 

Carosi first joined Exsultet! after graduating college, when she was in search of a musical outlet for herself. She “always had a passion for singing and was in three performing choirs in high school.” Carosi had also begun working in Holliston around this time and wished to meet more people who shared her interest in chorus. After looking at nearby choirs and auditioning for Exsultet!, Carosi has been a part of the choral group ever since.

From 2013 to now, Exsultet! has continued to “expand and welcome educated and devoted singers.” While the chorus began with “around six to seven members,” it has grown into a much larger family of singers, percussionists, actors, and stage crew members. Carosi stated how these people have truly “helped put on our productions and have greatly contributed to our performances.” Throughout the years, though, Exsultet! has kept the same mission of “allowing and welcoming other females who are interested in and devoted to music.” Looking ahead, the chorus wishes to keep growing by “branching out to new locations.” While they usually have performances in Holliston and Dedham, Exsultet! has begun extending its talents by holding one of their latest concerts in Amherst.

This month, the chorus will continue expanding by holding auditions on Monday, August 26. The chorus has two openings for Soprano singers who are interested in performing for their 2024-2025 season. Auditions will be taking place at 7 p.m. at the First Congregational Church in Holliston. Those who are interested should come prepared to perform one of the pieces from the Exsultet! website: www.exsultet.us .