MISSION STATEMENT
The National Chorale
Everett McCorvey, Artistic Director
The National Chorale, New York's premier professional choral company, is celebrating its 47th Avery Fisher Hall season with its continuing series of 20th century American Classics.
Founded in 1967, the National Chorale is the only professional choral company in the United States to have established and maintained an annual subscription season in the major New York City concert halls – 47 seasons in Avery Fisher Hall with additional concerts at Carnegie Hall. It presents a broad repertory of choral-orchestral works; seldom-performed works from many stylistic periods; opera-in-concert; American music theatre; and contemporary works, including commissions by the Chorale for its Lincoln Center Season.
In addition to its Avery Fisher Hall series, the Chorale has toured nationally; presented 19 summer seasons of New York Festival of American Music Theater concerts in Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park and parks throughout the New York area; concert tours of New York State and New York City; vocal-instrumental chamber music series. and Concerts for Young People.
The National Chorale is a leader in the development of choral singing in the New York City area. The New York Times calls the National Chorale "one of the most firmly established professional choral groups in the country."
For 47 years, the Chorale has also presented vocal music education programs for NYC public schools, developing singing participation and future audiences for choral and vocal music. The Chorale regularly tours New York area schools, presenting concerts and choral workshops; and will present the popular 22nd annual New York City High School Choral Festival, the 5th annual Elementary School Choral Festival and 2nd annual Middle School Choral Festival in May 2015, with 36 participating high school, elementary and middle school choirs and more than 2,700 student singers from all five Boroughs of the City.
National Chorale’s contracts with the NYC Department of Education provide year-long artist-in-residence programs for elementary and high schools throughout the city. The Chorale has had after-school choral programs in NYC high schools, sponsored by the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development; and has presented Contemporary Music Residencies in New York City high schools under a New York State Music Fund grant.
The Chorale also has a major Partnership with the NYC Professional Performing Arts High School in Manhattan, now in its 5th year, where a team of Chorale artist/teachers lead and develop the PPAS Vocal/Choral Program daily throughout the school year.