CURRENT SEASON
We acknowledge what the pandemic has taught us, that crises are weathered “with a little help from my friends,” to quote The Beatles. Collaboration, then, underpins every performance, which allows us to present many works that might otherwise be outside our repertoire, but which were created for a chamber ensemble of singers and instrumentalists. Towering figures of classical music are celebrated, while our continuing commitment to women composers and new works remains undimmed.
Masterworks like Vivaldi's Gloria, Fauré's Requiem, and Tchaikovsky's Vespers are complemented with classic suites based on dance by Brahms and Elgar. Brand new works from Melissa Dunphy, Sasha Johnson Manning, and Mårten Jansson prove that choral music remains a vital and evolving art form. And the Chorus goes back 'on the road' to explore some of St. Louis's best acoustics in six spectacular venues.
Please join us in person with our COVID safety plan in place. Check here for the most up-to-date information.
We Are The Music Makers — Music of Monteverdi, Vivaldi and Melissa Dunphy
E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall
560 Music Center, Washington University
560 Trinity Ave, University City, 63130
A joyous return to live performance is heralded by a perennial favorite – the Gloria (RV 589) of Antonio Vivaldi, complemented by motets from his Venetian precursor Claudio Monteverdi. This baroque repertoire contrasts with a new commission from Melissa Dunphy, who will fly here for the premiere.
10.3.21
3pm
We will hold each presentation on a Sunday from 3 pm to about 4:30 pm.
We Will Remember Them
Third Baptist Church
620 N. Grand Boulevard, Grand Center, 63103
Close to Veterans’ Day we commemorate those we have lost from both war and the pandemic through the ethereal Requiem of Gabriel Fauré. Songs of remembrance also featured in the music of Mendelssohn and Brahms, and a new work by British composer, Sasha Johnson Manning.
11.14.21
3pm
A Swedish Christmas
Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church
5020 Rhodes Ave, South City, 63109
Winter’s chill is dispelled in seasonal songs from Sweden, particularly with the warm harmonies of the Missa Popularis by Composer-in-Residence Mårten Jansson. He also contributes his own arrangements of familiar carols, together with a new work specially written for this festive occasion.
12.19.21
3pm
The Days of Wine and Roses
First Congregational Church of Webster Groves
10 W. Lockwood Ave, Webster Groves, 63119
St. Valentine would approve of this celebration of love in many forms, thanks to the Neue Liebesliederwalzer (op. 65) of Johannes Brahms and Elgar’s choral dances From the Bavarian Highlands. Love is never far from the music of Elaine Hagenberg and the “rose songs” of Morten Lauridsen.
2.20.22
3pm
Russian Nights
St. Stanislaus Kostka Polish Catholic Church
1413 North 20th Street, Downtown St. Louis, 63106
Though as late as 1882, Tchaikovsky’s All-Night Vigil (op. 55) was the first written for the Russian Church in the 19th century and served as a paradigm for the next generation. Its resonance is ideally suited to this historically Polish church and demonstrates the intensity of Orthodox repertoire. Anglo-Bulgarian composer Dobrinka Tabakova provides a provocative foil through her new talent steeped in the traditions of Eastern Europe.
4.10.22
3pm
Celebrations and Memorials
First Presbyterian Church
100 E. Adams Ave, Kirkwood, 63122
Even in the depths of the Second World War, the Hungarian master Zoltan Kodaly expressed his faith and his hope in a startlingly original Missa Brevis. Its demands for a grand organ accompaniment are met by the magnificent Casavant instrument at First Presbyterian Church. Kodaly’s sacred fervor is offset by secular part-songs from Clare Maclean and Mårten Jansson.
5.29.22
3pm