Choral Music Home
Led by Grammy Music Educator Award winner Keith Hancock, the Tesoro High School choir is proud to be recognized as one of the top choral programs in California, having been recognized by the Grammy Foundation, National Association of Music Merchants, and the American Choral Directors Association. The music program at Tesoro was recognized as a Grammy Signature School of Excellence, one of five in the country. The program has won many awards and competitions over the last decade, two Golden State Championships, three Barbershop Championships, two performances at Carnegie Hall in New York, and performances at top venues around Europe. In 2012 and 2016, Madrigals was awarded the highest honor for a classical choir in the U.S., the opportunity to perform at an ACDA Convention to be showcased in front of 1,000 choral directors and singers.
Ensembles from Tesoro have performed, recorded, collaborated with or opened for a growing list of world-class performers, including Jason Mraz, Sara Bareilles, Colbie Caillat, Johnny Mathis, Five for Fighting, Quentin Tarantino, Mark Lindsay, Take 6, Eric Whitacre, Morten Lauridsen, Gordon Goodwin, Ruben Studdard, and Raining Jane. The program consists of five curricular choirs and three small ensembles. All of the choirs perform at five major concerts every year, Fall Concert, Winter Concert, Tribute Concert, Spring Concert, and Pops Concert. Madrigals and Advanced Women’s Ensemble also perform at various choir festivals throughout the year.
In addition, there is a solo concert every year and solo opportunities at each concert. Students enrolled in any choir are eligible to tryout for these solo opportunities.
Each year, some or all of the choirs go on tour in the spring. Past tours include France, Spain, England, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, New York, Nashville, Memphis, and throughout California.
Mr. Hancock was recently named the Grammy Music Educator Award winner, chosen out of over 3,500 nominees. He was also named a top 50 finalist for the Global Teacher Prize, considered the Nobel Prize of teaching, out of 30,000 nominations. In addition, Mr. Hancock was chosen as Secondary Vocal Music Educator of the Year in Orange County. Mr. Hancock is also a contributor to Careers Through Music, a book and video presented by Alfred Music and the Grammy Museum Foundation. He holds a B.M. and M.A. from Chapman University (Summa cum Laude) and was valedictorian of his high school class. He is a former professor of music at the Conservatory of Music at Chapman University, and he has performed in Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Orange County Performing Arts Center.
For updated information please visit the Tesoro HS Choral Music Department website.