The City Choir

“In just a few seasons, artistic director Robert Shafer has shaped  the City Choir of Washington into another of the area's first-class choruses.”– The Washington Post

Critics and audiences alike have praised The City Choir of Washington and its Artistic Director Robert Shafer for consistently beautiful choral tone, clear diction, and exquisite attention to musical detail. The City Choir has performed with The National Symphony and The Washington National Opera Orchestra at The Kennedy Center and at Wolf Trap Park for the Performing Arts under the batons of Stephen Lord, Randall Craig Fleischer, Ludwig Wicki, Marvin Hamlisch, and Murry Sidlin. In addition, the group presents its own yearly subscription series conducted by Maestro Shafer.

During its first five seasons, the chorus performed many major works with its own orchestra, including Bach’s Mass in B Minor and Magnificat, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, the Duruflé Requiem, Fauré Requiem, Monteverdi Marian Vespers of 1610, Handel’s Dixit Dominus, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and Mass in Time of War, the Mozart Requiem, Vivaldi Gloria, Joel’s Puckett’s This Mourning, and the world premiere of Lux Aeterna by Robert Shafer. The City Choir has attracted capacity audiences for their subscription concerts, including the highly regarded Music for Christmas performances that showcase talented high school choral ensembles.

The City Choir is comprised of 140 professional-level volunteer singers from throughout the Washington metropolitan area. The City Choir of Washington dedicates itself to inspiring singers, audience members and the community to discover the rich musical and cultural heritage of choral music. Through performances and educational and community outreach programs such as The City Singers, Partners in Song, Young American Artists Program and Collegiate Internships, The City Choir is committed to nurturing the next generation of performers and audience members.

The City Choir of Washington presented "A Royal Season" in 2012-2013 that included performances of Handel's Coronation Anthems and Dettingen Te Deum, The Holly and the Ivy: British Music for Christmas, music from the 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and the World Premiere Performance of THREE HYMNS OF GEORGE HERBERT and Tolstoy's Creed by Sir John Tavener. The City Choir also performed Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezin in Avery Fisher Hall at NYC's Lincoln Center. To purchase subscriptions or concert tickets for the 2013-2014 Season, please visit www.citychoir.org.