The Chorus

Founded in 1961 as the Oratorio Society of Washington, The Washington Chorus is noted for its critically acclaimed performances and recordings of the entire range of the choral repertoire. A Grammy Award winner and cultural leader in the Washington area, The Washington Chorus is currently in its 52nd season. The Chorus, under direction of Music Director Julian Wachner, presents an annual subscription series at the Kennedy Center, the Music Center at Strathmore, and other major venues throughout the Washington DC area. The Chorus also frequently appears at the invitation of the National Symphony Orchestra and with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. TWC has sung under the direction of many of the world’s greatest conductors including Christoph Eschenbach, Leonard Slatkin, Mstislav Rostropovich, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Neville Marriner, Charles Dutoit, Kent Nagano, Marin Alsop and many others. This past September the Chorus was proud to have traveled to NYC to represent the nation’s capital as a part of the historic Trinity Wall Street parish’s commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of the tragedies of September 11th. A leader in its commitment to the support of new music, the Chorus has instituted a multiyear concert series, New Music for a New Age, which features the music of living composers such as Trevor Weston, Nico Muhly, Elena Ruehr, Paola Prestini, and this coming June, Tarik O’Regan. In recognition of this series, TWC was awarded the 2011 ASCAP Alice Parker Award, given each season to a chorus programming significant, recently composed music that expands the mission of the chorus and challenges the audience in new ways. The Chorus has recorded, been nationally broadcast and internationally televised, performed as part of a motion picture soundtrack, presented numerous premieres, and has performed for presidential inaugurations and to honor world leaders. In 2010, the Chorus premiered David Hurd’s Three Psalms at the 2010 National Convention of the American Guild of Organists in Washington, DC. In February of 2000 the Chorus, under the direction of former Music Director Robert Shafer, won a Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance of the Year for its live-performance recording of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem. Other recordings include the newly released Christmas CD Christmas with The Washington Chorus, two other holiday recordings (Glorious Splendor and Sing Noel!!), the Berlioz Requiem (Gothic Recordings), Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, and Psalm 149 (Naxos International), Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov (nominated for a Grammy in 1988), and the Grammy Award winning Of Rage and Remembrance by John Corigliano with the National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Leonard Slatkin. The Chorus has toured internationally, traveling to such musically important destinations as Paris, Vienna, Prague, Barcelona, and Rome, among others. To better serve its local community, the Chorus also has various educational programs and presents free concerts throughout the greater Washington area for special needs groups. The Washington Chorus is deeply committed to being a strong presence in the Washington community.