The 2013-2014 concert season will begin on October 20 with a program featuring the Mass in G Minor by Ralph Vaughan Williams along with a pioneering American masterpiece of the 20th century, Charles Ives’ Psalm 90 for organ and chorus. The program will also include Heitor Villa-Lobos’ rarely performed Bendita Sabedoria, a six-movement suite for a cappella chorus, as well as Vaughan Williams’ own magnificent Psalm 90.
Washington Master Chorale Chamber Singers perform at The Cosmos Club.
On March 2, 2014 at The National Presbyterian Church, the Chorale will present the Washington, DC premiere of Pamela Layman Quist’s Requiem for the People, a new extended American work for chorus and orchestra written in 2006. This will be the third performance of this work in the United States. This will be the first time we present a professional orchestra with the chorus. A repeat performance is planned for the following week at the National City Christian Church on March 9, 2014. The work will be paired with Maurice Duruflé 1948 masterpiece, Requiem Op. 9.
Voices of Our Nation, June 2014
Washington Master Chorale (WMC) has been selected as a “featured performing ensemble” for Voices of Our Nation — a week-long celebration of America’s choral tradition taking place in June 2014. “Given the high level of quality of choruses to choose from in Washington and Chorus America’s rigorous standards, it is an honor to be selected as a featured ensemble for the 2014 conference. We look forward to sharing our passion for choral art with our friends and colleagues in the profession,” said Thomas Colohan, WMC’s Artistic Director. During this festival — a partnership between Chorus America and the John F. Kennedy Center — WMC will additionally participate in the “kick-off” event on June 9 (which will be held at a variety of venues throughout the city) and the festival’s culminating concert on June 14. Learn more about Voices of Our Nation »
On the Air and In the News
We ended our 2012-13 season on a high note with a concert of new American choral music, featuring the premiere of “The Eye Begins to See,” by Donald McCullough (read the Washington Post review of The Splendid Silent Sun on March 3rd).
WETA evening announcer Nicole Lacroix spoke to Thomas Colohan about the program and about the distinctly American sound of the Washington Master Chorale. Listen to the interview:
Read about the Washington Master Chorale and hear from artistic director Thomas Colohan in “A long finish for a choral director, a new look for Washington’s choruses” (June 11, 2012 in The Washington Post)
Read a letter of appreciation from Alice Parker (October 11, 2011)
» Read more reviews and accolades
The Washington Master Chorale is a semiprofessional chorus in Washington, D.C., that seeks to advance American choral excellence by combining professional artistry with the beauty of architecture and the written word. Please explore the site to learn more about the Washington Master Chorale, our Artistic Director, and our 2012-2013 season.