Washington, D.C., and its environs are home to an unusually large and vibrant choral music scene, including choirs and choruses of many sizes and types.
Unlike many American cities, Washington, D.C., features several independent (i.e., non-orchestra-controlled) symphonic choruses, including three major organizations with annual budgets exceeding $1 million.
It also tours internationally every 3–4 years, including a landmark tour to Russia in 1993 with Mstislav Rostropovich and the NSO, two trips to the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy in 1993 and 2001, opening the BBC Proms in London in 2002, performing with Valery Gergiev and the London Symphony Orchestra in 2008, and a visit to China with the Qingdao Symphony Orchestra in 2015.
[2] In 2000, the chorus (then led by Robert Shafer) received the Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance for its live recording of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem.
[3] The Cathedral Choral Society is the oldest symphonic chorus in Washington, founded in 1941 by Paul Callaway and directed by J. Reilly Lewis from 1985 to 2016.
Zemer Chai has performed at the White House, the Library of Congress, Strathmore, and the Kennedy Center, as well as concert halls in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia [14] Kolot HaLev (Voices of the Heart), founded by Hazzan Dr. Ramon Tasat in 2008, is the only independent Jewish community choir in the DC area that does not require singers to audition.
Kolot HaLev is the choir-in-residence at Shirat HaNefesh (Song of the Soul) Congregation, and also offers annual concerts exploring the vast treasury of Jewish music, from Italy to Russia.
[25] The Suspicious Cheese Lords (founded in 1996) is a men's early music ensemble that focuses on the rediscovery of unknown Renaissance polyphony.
[30][31] Other area ensembles include Mosaic Harmony in Fairfax County, Virginia,[32] as well as Patrick Lundy and the Ministers of Music based in Maryland.
[35] The Thomas Circle Singers (founded in 1976) have a dual mission that includes donating ticket proceeds to area non-profit organizations, and have been recognized for both community involvement as well as musicianship.
[39] Garnering praise from high-profile composers Eric Whitacre and Paul Mealor, they are dedicated to "excellence, innovation, and accessibility in choral performance.
"[40] The Cantate Chamber Singers (founded in 1984) perform concerts in Maryland and D.C. featuring a broad range of repertoire from the past five centuries, and have released several recordings on national labels.
[46][47] Polyhymnia (founded in 1991), a 20-25-voice a capella chamber chorus directed by Steve Beck, performs good music from all periods (Renaissance to modern) and many cultures, frequently including less-well-known pieces that should be heard more often.
Afro Blue, an a cappella vocal jazz ensemble based at Howard University, received significant national attention when it placed fourth on season three of the television show The Sing Off in 2011.
[61] The Choral Society replaced its popular annual Messiah performance with Handel's Judas Maccabeus in 1908,[62] and may have formally disbanded that year.