Mendelssohn Chorus

New season, new faces! 🎶

We're thrilled to welcome some wonderful artists to the Mendelssohn Chorus family this year, and to give a shout-out to a familiar one:

✨ Sarah Bowe, our Assistant Conductor & Chorus Manager, a conductor, educator, and professional soprano
✨ Annabella Capaccio, our new Conducting Apprentice, who comes to us from Bard College Conservatory
✨ Brady Ketelsen, returning as our Senior Conducting Apprentice
✨ Nicole Snodgrass, soprano and one of four new section leaders, who will be featured in MacMillan's Seven Last Words from the Cross

Hear Nicole at our season opener, Ecstasy / Grief, on Saturday, October 24. Then see Sarah, Annabella, and Brady conduct at Dark / Light: A Feast of Carols on Saturday, December 12.

🎟️ Tickets & More Info: www.mcchorus.org

Ah... Schubert, one of my favorites to sing! 🎶 I am so excited for the chorus to perform Franz Schubert's Mass No. 2 in G.

As many of you may know, Schubert was an enormously versatile and prolific composer. Though he often complained about the difficulty of composition, he wrote with exceptional speed and fluidity: despite his tragically short life, he left behind a staggering catalog of nearly 1,000 compositions. IMO, his lieder are second to none and so fun to sing (Gretchen am Spinnrade ).

Composed when Schubert was still a teenager, the Mass in G has become one of the most beloved of his early sacred works, prized for an intimacy and faith expressed through tenderness rather than grandeur.

This piece will be paired with DiOrio's Weaver of Eternities and James MacMillan's Seven Last Words from the Cross — more on those soon...

ECSTASY/GRIEF
📅 October 24th at 4pm
📍 Church of the Holy Trinity
🎟️ Tickets & info: www.mcchorus.org

Rehearsals are underway for our first concert of the season ECSTASY/GRIEF! We are particularly excited to be working with Philadelphia-based saxophonist Valentin Kovalev on Weaver of Eternities - a collaboration between Philly-poet and librettist Jacqueline Goldfinger and our very own Dominick DiOrio. Dominick met Valentin when he performed this piece last February at the PMEA Region VI choir festival at Neshaminy High School, and knew right away he had to bring him on board. And, of course, its always a joy to work with our friends at the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia.

ECSTASY/GRIEF: Schubert, DiOrio, MacMillan
October 24, 2026, 4pm
Church of the Holy Trinity
Tickets and more info: www.mcchorus.org

Well, this one's been on our bucket list for a while - and we finally got our act together to apply! On Thursday, September 24th, you'll find us on the field at Citizens Bank Park to sing the national anthem for our beloved Phillies! If you have tickets for Thursday's game, come early to hear Dominick DiOrio's arrangement of "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the 6:05 game against the Brewers! ⚾

🎶 Introducing our 153rd Season: OUT OF MANY, ONE 🎶

Our founding national motto — E Pluribus Unum — becomes the lens for a season built on the great dualities of the American experience. Under Artistic Director Dominick DiOrio, we'll explore the tensions and contradictions woven into our country's founding and its future: ecstasy and grief, dark and light, many and one, East and West. Above all, we celebrate the chorus itself as a model of democracy — many voices joining in solidarity for a single, unified expression.

✨ ECSTASY/GRIEF – Oct 24, 2026
✨ DARK/LIGHT: A Feast of Carols – Dec 12, 2026
✨ MANY/ONE: The All-Philly Big Sing Returns – Mar 13, 2027
✨ FELIX FEST – Apr 17, 2027
✨ EAST/WEST: The Asian Diaspora in America – May 22, 2027

Join us for a season of many voices, one chorus. 🎼

🎟️ Tickets & full event details: https://www.mcchorus.org/tickets-and-events

🎼 Come sing with us! We are pleased to announce upcoming auditions on August 11th and 12th at Settlement Music School. Interested singers are encouraged to visit our website for complete audition information: https://www.mcchorus.org/join-us

Photo Credit: Sharon Torello

It's with a very heavy heart that we share the unexpected passing of singer Michael Carson. Michael joined Mendelssohn Chorus in 2022 and quickly became an integral part of our chorus family. From contributing his rich baritone sound to organizing holiday pop-ups, to simply being one of the kindest souls we've ever met — he will be sorely missed. Sending lots of love and light to all who knew and loved him.

A service will be held in his honor on Saturday, August 8th at 11am at Springton Lake Presbyterian Church in Newtown Square.

Come witness history today with Mendelssohn Chorus! Joyful Abundance features five new commissions by emerging composer & poet pairs as part of Philly's festival: 4pm at Rodeph Shalom. Use promo code ARTPHILLY for $10 off your ticket price: www.mcchorus.org/joyful

TOMORROW!

Please join us on Saturday, June 6 at for an exciting and insightful concert, premiering five new works from Philadelphia composers and poets! Tickets available here: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=295928

USE CODE: ARTPHILLY FOR $10 OFF YOU BASE TICKET PRICE!
(please note: promos do not apply to Student Tickets, ACCESS tickets, or previous orders)

As part of : What Now: 2026—a city-wide festival celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of our country—this concert asks vital questions about America's past, present, and future through the voices of a new generation of artists.

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Joyful Abundance launches what will become a permanent bi-annual program, funded in part by the Alan Harler New Ventures Fund, supporting Philadelphia's emerging composers and poets, creating a lasting legacy that extends far beyond this season. Consider supporting this fund which provides a pathway for MCP to continue undertaking provocative choral programming, including major commissioned works and innovative collaborations.