The Washington Chorus Announces Its 2022-23 Season!
Led by TWC Artistic Director Eugene Rogers, our 62nd season features collaborations, regional premieres, and a continued commitment to commissioning and presenting work by creators and artists of color.
Take a moment to learn why this season is one to be excited about!
Joyfully Together!: A collaboration with Wolf Trap National Park (September 18, 2022. Filene Center, Wolf Trap)
The Washington Chorus’s Dr. Eugene Rogers brings together singers from regional ensembles to showcase diverse styles and genres, from vocalists of all ages and backgrounds.
TOMORROW!: An immersive live music and art experience
(October 28 and October 29. First Congregational United Church of Christ)
Influenced by stories of resilience and hope, TWC presents Tomorrow! Featuring music performed by The Washington Chorus, cellist Élise Sharp, and special guests, the program includes Damien Geter’s “Cantata for a More Hopeful Tomorrow,” a dramatic film installation, visual artworks, and interactive artmaking.
Candlelight Christmas: The holiday tradition returns!
(December 16, 17, 18, 23, 2022. Kennedy Center and The Music Center at Strathmore)
Led by Dr. Eugene Rogers and featuring performances at the Kennedy Center and The Music Center at Strathmore, this family tradition returns with popular carols and holiday favorites performed by the full chorus, Stafford High School, Reservoir High School, accompanied by organist Paul Byssainthe Jr, and featuring soloist Rod Vester, piano.
Verdi Requiem: In partnership with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
(January 19-21, 2023. Meyerhoff Hall and Strathmore)
A musical meditation on faith and perseverance with the glorious Verdi Requiem. Featuring soprano Michelle Bradley, mezzo, Yulia Matochkina, tenor, Russell Thomas, and Morris Robinson, bass.
Seven Last Words of the Unarmed: A tribute to seven African American men killed by police
(January 31, 2023. Kennedy Center)
Joining forces with Washington Performing Arts, EXIGENCE vocal ensemble, the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, members of TWC will perform Joel Thompson’s powerful choral work, Seven Last Words of the Unarmed. It was commissioned, directed and premiered in 2016 by Dr. Eugene Rogers and the University of Michigan’s Men’s Glee Club. Rogers will also direct his own arrangement of Glory during the concert.
Scenes from the Life of a Martyr: Evoking memories of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
(April 4, 2023. Kennedy Center)
Closing the season, Dr. Eugene Rogers will lead the chorus and orchestra in the D.C. premiere of Virginia-based composer Undine Smith Moore’s 16-part oratorio Scenes from the Life of a Martyr. Composed in 1981 in memory of Martin Luther King Jr, and the civil rights movement coupled with the Duruflé Requiem. Moore’s wish was to evoke memories of Dr. King and other martyrs, “and the universality of the lives of ordinary men and women who struggled against the tragedies of human existence” (From Spirituals to Symphonies, Helen Walker-Hill.) This landmark event features The Washington Chorus, soloists, and narrator
Beethoven’s 9th Symphony: In partnership with the National Symphony Orchestra
(June 1-3, 2023. Kennedy Center)
Dr. Eugene Rogers and members of the chorus join the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) under Maestro Gianandrea Noseda to perform Beethoven Symphony No. 9. Featuring soprano Camilla Tilling, mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford, tenor Issachah Savage and bass-baritone Hanno Müller-Brachmann, the three concerts will be recorded live for release on the NSO’s record label NSO Live. Noseda will lead the first chorus-orchestra recording of his tenure with three Beethoven symphonies paired with music by trailblazing American composers George Walker and William Grant Still.