Micah Zimmerman has been selected to travel to Sonoma, Calif. to be a part of the Chanticleer Consort Singers Fellowship.

The Chanticleer in Sonoma Choral Workshop is five days long, June 15-19, and all music lovers or people interested in pursuing music as a career participate in the program, which is led by Sonoma State University faculty, as well as the world-renowned male acapella group, Chanticleer.

Zimmerman, a senior majoring in vocal performance with a minor in psychology, was persuaded by his advisor, Stephanie Council, to audition.

“I was a little bit reluctant at first,” Zimmerman said. “But then I said, you know what, let me try. And so, we had a couple of sessions before I had to send in an audition tape to the university.”

According to the Sonoma State University website, the program is an intensive five-day program of coaching, classes and rehearsals.

“I wasn’t expecting a whole lot, but I think about a few weeks later, I got an email saying, ‘Congratulations, you’ve got a spot in the fellowship,’” Zimmerman said.

He was also selected to receive the concert singer scholarship in which the tuition and room and board are covered.

“So, I just have to pay my flight ticket,” Zimmerman said. “And even then, they give a $500 accommodation fee for flight tickets, so it’s almost virtually free.”

Outreach is a very important part of choir life and is one of the things that Zimmerman is looking forward to the most about the experience, as well as finding fellow musicians who are enthusiastic about music.

“Just how incorporated into our lives it is and how exciting it is to meet people who have similar interests to you,” Zimmerman said. “Along with, not only the faculty that are going to be teaching but Chanticleer themselves.”

Multiple Grammy Award-winning vocal ensemble, Chanticleer has been hailed as “the world’s reigning male chorus” by The New Yorker and is known around the world as “an orchestra of voices” for its wide-ranging repertoire and virtuosity.

“They’ve been all over the world,” Zimmerman said. “They’ve been to America, Italy, France, almost every part of the world, and they’ve performed countless times for countless amounts of people and I’m so excited to get that professional experience with those people. I will not only be taught by them, but I will also be singing with them at the end of the program as a sort of last celebration of all our work.”

Zimmerman hopes to make a lot of connections in the program and afterward find other programs to attend over the summer or use it as a stepping stone for after college.

“I’m super excited about the prospect of doing the fellowship in the future. I’m so excited.” Zimmerman said. “I just have to give a shoutout to Dr. Council for giving me this opportunity and training me along with my vocal professor Matthew Lau for helping me all these four years to achieve this amazing accomplishment.”