National Chorale

NEW YORK’S PREMIER CHORAL ORGANIZATION

Everett McCorvey, Artistic Director

During 2024-2025 year, the Chorale celebrates its 57th Annual Season of concerts and its extensive vocal music education program in the NYC schools.
The National Chorale Messiah Sing-In is one of the biggest Holiday musical events in New York City and has become an annual Holiday favorite.

The National Chorale, New York’s premier professional choral company, continues celebrating 57 years of excellence in vocal music education and performance during the 2024-2025 season. 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 – 57 seasons in David Geffen Hall (formerly Avery Fisher Hall and Philharmonic Hall) with additional concerts at Carnegie Hall. The Chorale 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 David Geffen 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.

For 57 years the Chorale has also had a continuing major vocal-choral music education initiative in the New York public schools in cooperation with the NYC Department of Education and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. This initiative includes city-wide artist-in-residence programs; after-school high school choral programs; special contemporary music residencies; the popular New York City High School Choral Festival and the new Elementary and Middle School Choral Festivals.

In addition, the Chorale has a Partnership with the New York City Professional Performing Arts High School, now in its 13th year, providing vocal and choral training to young people who plan to enter the music profession as performers or music educators.


THE CHORALE
Is the only professional choral organization to establish and maintain an annual choral-orchestral series in a major New York City concert hall—for 57 years at Lincoln Center—with additional concerts at Carnegie Hall.

Has created and has presented the Handel’s Messiah Sing-In at Lincoln Center every December for 57 years. The Sing-In is New York’s most popular Holiday Season participatory music event, with an audience-chorus of 3,000 singers.

Repertory also includes major accapella works from the 16th century to our time and its continuing Series of 20th and 21st century American Classics.

Has toured nationally since 1967, presenting choral concerts, vocal/instrumental chamber music, Messiah Sing-Ins, American music theatre concerts, contemporary music, and concerts for young people.

Presents the leading Vocal Music Education Initiative in New York’s public schools—ongoing for 57 years. Every year, through the Chorale’s programs, more than 5,000 children in Elementary, Intermediate and High Schools participate in choirs and develop their skills for life-long enjoyment of singing.

Presents the popular NYC High School Choral Festival, involving choirs from throughout the City. The 26th annual Festival took place in May 2019 at Hunter College/CUNY with more than 1,200 high school singers and choral conductors participating. Everett McCorvey was the Festival’s distinguished guest conductor.

Presented the 9th Annual Elementary School Choral Festival in May 2019 at the Professional Performing Arts School in midtown Manhattan with 950 singers and choral directors participating. Steven Vaughan was the distinguished Festival Guest Conductor.

Presented the 6th Annual Middle School Choral Festival in May 2019 at the Professional Performing Arts School School in midtown Manhattan with 750 singers and choral directors participating. Vagarshak Ohanyan was the distinguished Festival Guest Conductor.

Board of Directors
Jasmine Ahmed
Pamela Anderson
William Drake
Bill Baroni
Peter Perlman, Esq.
Judith E. Rinearson, Esq., Chairman
Sherry Wright

National Chorale Staff   
Amy Siegler, Executive Director
Vago Ohanyan, Principal Conductor, Educational Programs
Joe Anthony, Artist-in-Residence, Educational Programs
Dr. Jeryl Cunningham-Fleming, Artist-in-Residence, Educational Programs
Gina Morgano, Artist-in-Residence, Educational Programs
Steven Vaughan, Artist-in-Residence, Educational Programs
Kelsey Loeslie, Assistant to Dr. McCorvey
Deborah Hoskins, Marketing Consultant
Logograph Marketing and Strategic Communications – Craig Francis, Irina Litvinenko

National Chorale Major Support
The National Chorale and National Choral Council are grateful to the government agencies and foundations listed below for their major support of the Chorale’s 2020-2021 Concert Season and the Chorale’s Vocal Music Education Initiative in the New York City public schools during the year 2020-2021.