ONE HUNDRED THIRTEEN people cram into three rows of chairs lining the long wall of the rehearsal room at Grace United Methodist Church, for all the world like birds on a wire.
But these particular birds have been singing hard for three hours, and their feathers are a bit askew in the heat. A middle-aged man standing on a small, raised stage goes into a half crouch and raises his baton, and members of the Baltimore Choral Arts Society launch into one of the gentler sections of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana.
BALTIMORE CHORAL ARTS SOCIETY / / Carmina Burana at 7 tonight / / Meyerhoff Symphony Hall / / 410-783-8000 or baltimorechoralarts.org
Tom Hall
Age:
52
Residence:
Baltimore
Occupation:
Music director, Baltimore Choral Arts Society; cultural editor, WYPR-FM.
Birthplace:
Teaneck, N.J.
Education:
Bachelor's degree, Ithaca College, 1977. Master's degree, Boston University, 1981. Doctorate, University of Maryland, College Park, 1996.
Awards:
Hall received a 2006 award from the Society of Professional Journalists for best new radio journalist in Maryland.
Personal:
Married to Sun features reporter Linell Smith. A daughter, Miranda, 18.
Hall's 25 years
Some facts from Tom Hall's years with the Baltimore Choral Arts Society:
Size:
120 volunteer vocalists, plus 12 paid singers, participate in three choirs under the BCAS umbrella.
Budget:
Since 1982, the budget has grown from $79,000 to $695,240. The group now boasts a $1.1 million endowment.
Performances:
30 public performances (up from three in 1982) plus 15 lectures and workshops.
Annual audience:
20,000 at the concerts.
Tours:
New York, 1985. European debut, 1987. France, this summer.
Awards:
The Baltimore Choral Arts Society is featured on TV special that received an Emmy Award in 2006.
Recordings:
Christmas with Choral Arts; Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil; Mozart's Requiem; Gates of Justice with famed pianist Dave Brubeck.
Collaborations:
The choir has performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, Sweet Honey in the Rock and P.D.Q. Bach.
MARY CAROLE MCCAULEY