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, The Washington Chorus is currently in its 47th season and is considered a cultural leader in the Washington area. The Chorus presents an annual subscription series at the J. F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and frequently appears there at the invitation of the National Symphony Orchestra, singing under the direction of many of the world's greatest conductors including Leonard Slatkin, Mstislav Rostropovich, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Neville Marriner, Charles Dutoit, Kent Nagano and many others. In addition to its regular Kennedy Center performances, the Chorus has sung throughout the metropolitan area and has received acclaim for numerous world premieres. The Chorus has recorded, been nationally broadcast and internationally televised, performed as part of a motion picture soundtrack, and has performed for presidential inaugurations and to honor world leaders. 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: Glorious Splendor, Sing Noel!!, and the Berlioz Requiem (Gothic Recordings); Dvorák'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 frequently tours 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 who may not be able to attend concerts at the Kennedy Center.