The Saint Louis Chamber Chorus is a large

chamber choir A chamber choir is a small or medium-sized choir of roughly 8 to 40 singers (occasionally called 'chamber singers'), typically singing classical or religious music in a concert setting. (This is distinct from e.g. a church choir, which sings in rel ...

, numbering 45 – 50 mixed voices, that presents seasons of six programs performed in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, in venues of historic and/or architectural note. It generally performs without instrumental accompaniment and is well suited to repertoire for double choir and more. Each season includes 50 complete works or more, and generally in the original language. Since pieces are rarely repeated from season to season, the choir enjoys one of the largest repertoires for a choir of its type and size. A complete listing of works sung throughout its history is found on the Choru
website
The choir has long been identified as an advocate for contemporary music, and has championed several women composers, particularly through its Composer-in-Residence program.

History

Founded in 1956 by British organist, Ronald Arnatt, as the Saint Louis Chamber Orchestra & Chorus, the ensemble was soon recognized for its pioneering significant works by

Delius Delius, photographed in 1907 Frederick Theodore Albert Delius ( 29 January 1862 – 10 June 1934), originally Fritz Delius, was an English composer. Born in Bradford in the north of England to a prosperous mercantile family, he resisted atte ...

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

and

Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

, some of whose pieces received their North American premieres thanks to Arnatt & his musicians. The choir received various invitations outside St. Louis, including visits to the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

and the

Washington National Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral, is an American cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Washington, D.C., the cap ...

. Soon after Arnatt relocated to Boston in the late 1970s, the ensemble represented St. Louis at the Sister City Twinning Ceremony in

Stuttgart, Germany Stuttgart (; Swabian German, Swabian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fe ...

. Shortly after their return the Orchestra was discontinued, but the choir remained known as ‘The Chorus’ and was directed by a Webster University academic, Allen Carl Larson. After four years at the helm, Larson resigned and was succeeded by another college professor (from Forest Park Community College), Stephen Curtis. Curtis maintained the group’s reputation for imaginative programming performed competently around the city until he too resigned to take up an appointment in Philadelphia. Following a year-long search for his replacement, Philip Barnes – a native of Great Britain like Ronald Arnatt – was appointed

Artistic Director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the ...

in 1989. Under his direction the Chorus has grown in quality and thus stature and is now regarded as one of the Midwest’s finest chamber choirs. The group’s reputation has been enhanced through a series of recordings an
YouTube
video presentations.

Governance & Compensation

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of elected volunteers oversees the running of the Chamber Chorus through regular monthly meetings. The organization is entirely independent of any institutional or religious affiliation. The administration of the Chamber Chorus is led by an Executive Director, with fundraising specifically assigned to a Advancement Director. Each concert is facilitated by a Concert Coordinator. Artistic leadership is the responsibility of the

, who is aided by two Assistant Conductors. Choir practices are assisted by a rehearsal accompanist. Maintaining the choir’s considerable collection of scores is the responsibility of two librarians. The importance of all these positions is recognized through modest salaries or honoraria. In addition, each singer receives an honorarium for performing a concert program. There are no section leaders, and all solos are assigned from within the group.

Membership

Some of St. Louis’s finest choral musicians are, or have been, associated with the choir, and membership is highly sought after. The Chorus holds annual auditions each summer, with occasional make-up sessions throughout the year. These auditions are thorough and include two chosen pieces, sight singing exercises and ear tests. There is no charge for an applicant’s first audition. Members of the Chorus have generally gained choral experience through strong high school and/or college programs, and it is the organization’s policy not to admit undergraduates, who concentrate their energies on making the most of their college opportunities.

Repertoire

The Chorus performs music from many different periods and traditions, starting with an early 13th century round and culminating with world premieres of pieces specifically written for the group. While mainstays of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

are frequently sung, particular attention is paid to the German Romantic School (

Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositi ...

Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

and

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...

) because the choir’s distinctive blend is so appropriate for this repertoire. That the choir’s founder and current Artistic Director are both English explains the preponderance of British composers, but American musicians and others from around the globe are not neglected. Particular attention is paid to women

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

s, and new music is always a feature of every season, in part due to th
Composer-in-Residence
program.

Significant Performances

Under Ronald Arnatt the ensemble was invited to sing at The White House and the Washington National Cathedral, performing

’s “ Mass in G Minor” in the presence of the composer’s widow. Under Allen Carl Larson’s direction, the ensemble traveled to

, to perform at the official ceremony where the city was twinned with St. Louis. During Philip Barnes’s tenure the Chorus has sung on two soundtracks, the TV mini-series “

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” (producer

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...

), and the independent feature film, �
To Tokyo
�� (director Caspar Seale-Jones), singing the music of Oscar-winning composer, Trevor Jones. Members of the Chorus have performed at the regional or national conference of various professional organizations, and even served as back-up singers for

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", "I Write the Songs", " Can ...

during a performance in St. Louis. Performances have ranged from buildings of outstanding significance and beauty to unusual settings like the Schlafly Brewery Tap Room and an outdoor program at the

New Mount Sinai Cemetery New Mount Sinai Cemetery is a cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri. Its first burial was in 1853, and its rural cemetery landscape design was laid out in 1907. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. As of the 2005 listing, t ...

Artistic Directors

* 1956 – 1978 Ronald Arnatt * 1978 – 1982 Allen Carl Larson * 1982 – 1987 Stephen Curtis * 1989 – present Philip Barnes

Composers-in-Residence

* 1998 – 2006

Sasha Johnson Manning Sasha Johnson Manning (born 1963) is an English composer specialising in vocal pieces. She graduated in voice and cello from the Royal Academy of Music in 1985. She has worked as a full-time soprano and composer ever since. Her singing career ...

( UK) * 2006 – 2011

Clare Maclean Clare Maclean (born 1958 on the South Island of New Zealand, at Timaru) is a New Zealand composer. She received her formative musical training under Gillian Bibby at the Wellington Polytechnic. She then moved to Australia, where she studied comp ...

(

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

) * 2011 – 2014 Yakov Gubanov (

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

) * 2014 – 2018

Melissa Dunphy Melissa Dunphy (born 1980) is an Australian-American composer of classical music. She is most notable for the ''Gonzales Cantata'', a 40-minute choral piece in Baroque style that sets the text of the parts of the dismissal of U.S. attorneys contr ...

(

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

) * 2019 – 2022 Mårten Jansson (

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

) * 2022 – 2025 Kerensa Briggs ( UK)

Discography

* Choral Masterpieces (SLCC) * Vox Pop (SLCC) * A Chamber Christmas (SLCC) * A Spanish Christmas (SLCC) * Rejoicing In His Birth (SLCC) * Rome’s Golden Poets (Bolchazy-Carducci, 1999) * Singing St. Louis (SLCC) * Songs of the Soul (Guild, 2005) * Saint Louis Commissions (Regent, 2007) * A Pageant of Human Life: Choral Music of Granville Bantock (Regent, 2009) * Christmas from St. Louis (Regent, 2012) * American Declarations (Regent, 2014) * Saint Louis Firsts (Regent, 2016) * Saint Louis Classics (Regent, 2018) * Saint Louis Premieres (Regent, 2020)

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control A cappella musical groups Musical groups from St. Louis American choirs Musical groups established in 1956 1956 establishments in Missouri