News / Student & Alumni News

Tre Cooper's Christmas at Northwoods

Monday 16th December 2024

 

Northwoods Community Church is located in Peoria, IL, USA, and hosts an annual Christmas Production that sees nearly 30,000 attendees across 11 sold-out shows. Christmas at Northwoods features a Broadway-style cast of musicians, dancers, and singers to bring to life a timeless message of joy and wonder.

MA student, Tre Cooper begins preparing for the event at the start of each year and invests nearly 150 hours into writing out charts and creating rehearsal tracks for vocalists, and over 60 more hours of leading vocal rehearsals before opening night.

Tre has often joked that his vocal rehearsals are “where choir nerds come to thrive”. Beginning in September, these weekly rehearsals play an essential role in helping the cast—composed of worship team volunteers—sound polished and authentic as they perform pop, southern gospel, jazz, country, gospel, and even classical styles throughout the show. While preparations are extensive, the joy and camaraderie built during rehearsals bring encouragement and unity as we approach opening night.

This year, Tre is grateful to Voice Study Centre for the tools to coach teams more clearly and efficiently. Though he is just rounding out Module 1, he’s already been able to drastically decrease the time spent on “guesswork” and free up rehearsal time to hone in on various fine details. 

 

 

To watch shows from previous years, search “Christmas at Northwoods” on YouTube - these will be sure to get you in the Christmas spirit. (We've attached last years video below).

Tre Cooper

Tre Cooper is a performer, songwriter, and educator based out of Central Illinois. Since receiving a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Iowa in 2018, he has served as a full-time worship pastor and private studio owner with the single goal of raising up the next generation of singers.


Recent Posts

Student & Alumni News

Alumna Success: Zulimar López-Hernández Appointed to Teach Vocal Pedagogy at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico

Voice Study Centre
Thursday 21st August 2025

"This course is deeply meaningful to me because I have been able to design the kind of Vocal Pedagogy class I wish I could have experienced during my undergraduate studies—now enriched by my experience as a professor at the University of Puerto Rico, my career as an opera singer, and my MA at the Voice Study Centre."

Read More...
Director & Team News

Congratulations to Senior Lecturer Claire Thomas on Passing her Doctoral Viva! 🎉

Voice Study Centre
Wednesday 13th August 2025

We are thrilled to share some wonderful news from our Senior Lecturer, Claire Thomas. She has officially passed her doctoral viva! Claire has spent nearly five years dedicated to...

Read More...

Save the Date – 30th September: Ken Bozeman Unveils His New Edition of Practical Vocal Acoustics

Voice Study Centre
Monday 11th August 2025

Free to attend! We’re thrilled to invite you to a special event celebrating the launch of Ken Bozeman’s new edition of Practical Vocal Acoustics: Pedagogic Applications for Teachers and Singers.

Read More...