The Washington Chorus Reveals Upcoming Season

The Washington Chorus has announced its 2023-24 season. Under the continued leadership of Artistic Director Dr. Eugene Rogers, the season features seven concerts of thought-provoking and socially impactful music, at venues across the DMV. The expansive season opens on July 7 and includes three guest appearances with the National Symphony Orchestra and two concerts in partnership with National Philharmonic. For more information, visit The Washington Chorus.

“I am thrilled about the launch of our 2023-24 season of song, our 63rd, which promises to be nothing short of amazing,” said Rogers. “As we strive to create transformative musical experiences that bring people together through choral music, our concerts and collaborations with the National Symphony and National Philharmonic Orchestra celebrate compositional voices of both the past and present. Including the iconic Symphony of Psalmsby Igor Stravinsky, the Venezuelan classic Cantata Criolla by Antonio Estevez, the East Coast premiere of “Breaths of Universal Longings” by James Lee III, and Felix Mendelssohn's powerful oratorio Elijah featuring Grammy Award-winning baritone Will Liverman, I cannot wait to discover and explore this breadth of choral music together.”

The season opens with the first of three guest appearances with the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO): an immersive film from NASA's space explorations and Gustav Holst's iconic suite, The Planets in partnership with the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO). The full feature film will be projected in HD onto screens in-house and on the lawn at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts on Friday, July 7.

Also at Wolf Trap this summer, TWC joins the NSO once again for a concert celebrating the music of Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi, with music from the Studio Ghibli Films of Hayao Miyazaki on July 14 and 15. Scenes from the iconic films including My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away accompany the performance, conducted by Hisaishi himself.

Dr. Rogers steps onto the podium to lead TWC and The National Philharmonic in Anhelos Universales (“Universal Longings”) on Sunday, November 5 at The Music Center at Strathmore. The concert presents a tapestry woven from the human voice and spirit, first through James Lee III's Breaths of Universal Longings, celebrating our shared humanity and the universality of singing, and then through Antonio Estévez's Cantata Criolla, in which Florentino, a Venezuelan cowboy, musically duels with El Diablo to save his soul, demonstrating the true power of the human voice through vivid storytelling.

A beloved holiday tradition returns with TWC's, A Candlelight Christmas, December 15-22 at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall and The Music Center at Strathmore. Led by Dr. Rogers and featuring the National Capital Brass and Percussion, Organist Paul Byssainthe, Jr., two local high school choirs, and more—join TWC for this seasonal favorite.

Returning to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, TWC joins the NSO for Fauré's Requiem on April 4-6, conducted by French-Canadian maestro Bernard Labadie. An atypical requiem, Fauré's masterpiece has become one of the most iconic works of the sacred choral repertoire, reaching far beyond the composer's original Parisian congregation. 

Further exploring faith and divinity, TWC and National Philharmonic partner again to present L'Eternel on May 11 at The Music Center at Strathmore. With Dr. Rogers on the podium, they will share the spiritual works of Lili Boulanger, Igor Stravinsky, and Ludwig van Beethoven. Throughout Psalm 24, Symphony of Psalms, and Mass in C Major, each composer explores their faith using their unique voice.

In a powerful finale, TWC's brings a biblical prophet to life in their final performance of the season: Elijah Reimagined on June 8 at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. In this innovative and visual production under the baton of Dr. Rogers, GRAMMY Award-winning baritone Will Liverman performs the title role of Elijah alongside Caitlin Lynch (soprano),Antona Yost (mezzo-soprano), Norman Shankle (tenor), and the Children's Chorus of Washington.

Season subscriptions are available beginning Friday, May 19 at 10am, including TWC's brand new digital subscription. Learn more and get tickets at thewashingtonchorus.org.