Mendelssohn Chorus

12/10/2023

We are brimming with joy and gratitude after two sold out performances yesterday! A big thank you to all of our audience members who have made A Feast of Carols a holiday tradition!

Now, on to GLORIOUS SOUND OF CHRISTMAS at the Kimmel Center Dec 14-16! We are so pleased to be featured with The Philadelphia Orchestra on Channel ABC news. Keep look out on the news today for Artistic Director Dominick DiOrio along with Chief Programming Officer at the Orchestra Jeremy Rothman!

The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia are once again teaming up for what's become an annual holiday tradition, The Sound of Christmas.

12/09/2023

Traffic Announcement--Bells Mill Rd is closed as of 1:04PM on 12/9/2023. Please be sure to plan an alternate route if you're coming from the North or West and leave some extra time for travel.

12/07/2023

While the chorus was at rehearsal last night, Executive Director Flo Gardner and Vice Board Chair Julie Cohen participated in a kick-off event for Philadelphia 250 (coming 2026!). We were thrilled to be recognized along with other organizations celebrating milestone birthdays this season and next. Philadelphia is and will be the place to be!

11/18/2023

Did you know that Mendelssohn Chorus (then Club) has a Motto?! Our founding father William Gilchrist composed a motto to be sung before every performance. These are the words that were printed in many of our early programs. The music fell into obscurity however our resident chorus historian Michael Moore was able to track down a copy of it for us. We'll give it a spin and let you know if has stood the test of time!

11/17/2023

Ember Choral Arts will be kicking off the 2023-24 season on November 17th and 19th with a very special performance of Andrea Clearfield’s groundbreaking cantata, Beyond the Binary.

11/06/2023

This month, we kick off our Artistic Director series where we take a closer look at each of the 14 artistic leaders of Mendelssohn Chorus.

Mendelssohn Chorus' (then Mendelssohn Club) founder, William W. Gilchrist, was a major mover and shaker in Philly's music scene in the late 1800's/early 1900's having directed a number of Philadelphia institutions. He led voice instruction at Philadelphia Academy, founded Mendelssohn Club, conducted the Philadelphia Symphony Society, served as president at the Philadelphia's Manuscript Music Society, and a founding member of the American Guild of Organists.

Stay tuned for more intel about our founding father!

10/20/2023

Thank you to all who came to our season opener last weekend--and for the wonderful response. Here's what people are saying about WE REPLY TO VIOLENCE

"Yesterday's concert was outstanding. One of the best concerts I have ever heard with any group anywhere. Beautiful and moving."

"The first thing that struck me is the enthusiasm of the singers - for me, motivated music is the best kind, and I loved the verve of this group. Very talented singers and soloists, excellent conducting. I came away very impressed."

"I was so impressed by the quality of the chorus, the soloists, and the orchestra/pianist. And providing a way for talented singers to come together to make this music is a gift to the city. The program was extraordinary--so thoughtfully curated."

10/14/2023

Conductor and composer Dominick DiOrio MM '08, MMA '09, DMA '12 writes of the ISM: “My time at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music was formative for me, providing me with a grounding and understanding of the world at large in all of its magnificent diversity. In particular, I was taught to always appreciate the context surrounding any and all music performances: how was the composer impacted by the prevailing cultural, social, civic, and religious institutions of the time, and how has that affected the resulting music? The colleagues I met at the ISM continue to be foundational musical relationships in my network that resonate outward into the greater profession.”

The ISM offers interdisciplinary graduate study of the arts, tuition-free. Apply by December 1. https://ism.yale.edu/graduate-study/admission-graduate-study

Dominick has been recognized with The American Prizes in both Choral Composition (2014) and Choral Performance (2019, with NOTUS). In July 2020, he became the 14th Artistic Director and Conductor of the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia, now in its 150th season.

Photo: Dominick DiOrio’s graduate degree recital at Yale.

10/14/2023

Tomorrow, we will be presenting The Seven Last Words of the Unarmed--an incredibly moving work. All seven movements set the last words of unarmed Black men before they were killed, composed by Joel Thompson.

10/13/2023

We are so thrilled that artistic director & conductor Dominick DiOrio was interviewed by WHYY's Peter Crimmins in advance of our opening concert this weekend! Check it out:

For its 150th season, the classical choral ensemble will perform a program of anti-war, anti-violence music.

10/12/2023

Dress rehearsal #1 ✅

09/28/2023

As we continue to walk down memory lane in honor of our 150th - today's takes us back nearly 40 years ago to our 110th Anniversary in May 1984! Under the direction of Tamara Brooks, Mendelssohn Chorus performed the rarely performed Schoenberg’s Frieden auf Erden and Mendelssohn’s Die Erste Walpurgisnacht with the New School of Music Orchestra.

We recognize some familiar faces, do you!?!?

09/20/2023

Rehearsal Ready here on Queen St!

09/09/2023

Things are ramping up for our singers AND our alumni, who just hosted their annual social! Mendelsingers are in our community for life❤️

09/07/2023

This week, we're introducing the artistic staff of our 150th Season! Join us in welcoming conducting apprentice Bailey Dean. Bailey recently completed a Master of Music in choral conducting at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia, and she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. During her time in Portland, Bailey worked as a conductor, singer, arranger, and music teacher. She enjoys working with a wide range of ensembles, and strives to form lasting relationships with her colleagues, mentors, and students. At Georgia State, Bailey served as a graduate assistant to the choral area. She worked in the office, helping to manage ensembles and plan events, and as a choral scholar at Holy Trinity Parish in Decatur, Georgia. Bailey is very excited about moving to Philadelphia, where she will be the music teacher at Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School for the Fall semester. She is overjoyed to join the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia as a Conducting Apprentice for the 2023-2024 season.

09/07/2023

Check out a recent feature on The Chestnut Hill Local, featuring Mendelssohn Chorus's 150th Season!

The opening of the 2023-24 season of classical music concerts will be highlighted by peerless vocal and choral singing offered by local musicians and ensembles.

09/06/2023

This week, we're introducing our artistic staff! Meeting another conducting apprentice-Ariel Antoinette Alvarado. Ariel is a conductor, vocalist, and scholartist dedicated to restorative justice and empowerment through culturally responsive pedagogy. Having grown up with little representation of her identities, Ariel's work focuses on centering the voices of the marginalized and making connections across cultures. Ms. Alvarado is the Inaugural Daniel L. Ridout Teaching Fellow of the Wilmington Children's Chorus in Wilmington, Delaware and a member of the Delaware Academy of Vocal Arts flagship ensemble 'Elevation'. She earned a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Spelman College in Atlanta, GA. Ms. Alvarado makes meaning with the world around her through music and is journeying to leave the world a better place than she found it.

09/05/2023

We are THRILLED to introduce to the artistic staff of Season 150. We're welcoming back Elizabeth Beavers as our Senior Conduction Apprentice. Elizabeth is pleased to be a part of the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia after over eight years of choral directing in schools, the last six of which she spent in South Korea as a Fulbright Grantee and teacher at Asia Pacific International and the International School of Busan. There she made music with Korean people and students from around the world. Over her summers, she has been chosen to conduct with Choral Chameleon in NYC, the University of Michigan Choral Conducting Symposium, and the Eastman Complete Conductor Summer Intensive. Elizabeth is a current Master’s in Choral Conducting student of Dr. Paul Rardin's at Temple University. She is also a proud graduate of the University of Maryland, where she received degrees in Vocal Performance and Music Education with a piano concentration. She is thrilled to be a John P. Leonard Senior Conducting Apprentice for the Mendelssohn Chorus's 150th season. Drop some love for Elizabeth in our comments and stay tuned for more introductions!

09/01/2023

Mendelssohn Chorus is thrilled to welcome three John P. Leonard Conducting Apprentices this season! Some of you may recognize Elizabeth Beavers from last season and we are so happy that she will be returning as Senior Conducting Apprentice. Ths season, Ellizabeth will be joined by Ariel Alvarado and Bailey Dean. Lear more about our incredible artistic staff here on our brand new website:

https://www.mcchorus.org/about

08/31/2023

As we celebrate our birthday over the course this season and next (I mean, who celebrates their birthday on just one day anymore anyway!) we will share memories and momentos of years gone by. These are cards given to our singers with important rehearsal and performance information. So cool right?

08/25/2023

Friends, our birthday is almost here! Founded in 1874, Mendelssohn Chorus is thrilled to begin celebrating 150 years of choral singing! We have a lot in store for you this season as we honor the past, present, and future of choral-music making. Learn more about our season and buy tickets at www.mcchorus.org.

PS. We also hope you enjoy the incredible original artwork created by two of our singers Jonathan J. Wallace and Robin Eaton!

Mendelssohn Chorus has been fostering artistry, beauty & belonging by singing together to illuminate

07/06/2023

Is it okay to do a to something that only happened last month? Asking for a friend. Anyway, enjoy these pictures of us in Italy!

06/13/2023

Hey! We know them!

06/13/2023

Mendelsingers abroad: Day 3!!!

06/12/2023

The Mendelsingers are on the coast today, touring Terracini, Sperlonga, and Gaeta! (Oh my!)

06/11/2023

The Mendelsingers on the bus say "Ciao, bella, ciao!"

06/11/2023

First full day in Roma!