Cantata Singers perform at NEC's Jordan Hall, under the direction of the Music Director and 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient David Hoose.
Choral Arts New England will host its annual awards ceremony on Sunday, October 4, 2026, at 3:00 PM at Saint David’s Episcopal Church in Gales Ferry, CT. The event will celebrate exemplary contributions to the region’s choral life and recognize recipients of the 2026 Alfred Nash Patterson Grants.
The premiere performance of the inaugural David Hoose Commissioning Grant winner, Strange Land, will be on September 23, 2026 at 7 pm at the Charles Hayden Planetarium IMAX Theater at the Boston Museum of Science.
Strange Land, composed by Gregory W. Brown setting texts by the poet Todd Hearon is a multi-media work inspired by Revelations chapters eight and nine, which will include etchings by Brian D. Cohen. The performance will be presented by Nightingale Vocal Ensemble, directed by Benjamin Perry, with players from Juventas New Music Ensemble.
We are also pleased to share that there will be a second performance on Thursday, September 24, at 7:30 p.m. at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire.
We would be delighted to see you at either performance as we celebrate this exciting milestone!
September 23 | 7:30 p.m.
Boston Museum of Science – Charles Hayden Planetarium IMAX Theater
Tickets available here
September 24 | 7:30 p.m.
Phillips Exeter Academy – Exeter, NH
Free and open to the public (limited ticket availability)
John Oliver was the founder and director for 45 years of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus (TFC), the official chorus of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Through his active development and advocacy, the chorus became one of the premiere symphonic choruses in the world, praised for its performances in a wide variety of repertoire, including not just large symphonic and operatic works but also smaller works both accompanied and a cappella.
Berkshire Choral International is offering several programs for singers in New England during the 2026-2027 season. The programs are primarily educatiomnal and experiential, "an elevated choir camp for adults who love to sing." Programs are typically a week long. Some include a final concert; others are workshop format without a public presentation. There are programs around the world. Here we list the ones that take place in New England.
Dr. Jamie Spillane is Director of Choral Studies at the University of Connecticut where he oversees a choral program with seven choirs, directs the UConn Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, and teaches undergraduate through doctoral choral conducting and choral literature classes. Dr. Spillane’s research lies in the study of choral festival music and his articles have appeared in the ACDA Choral Journal.
Choral Arts New England has selected the first recipient of the David Hoose Commissioning Grant. The inaugural grant recipient is Nightingale Vocal Ensemble of Boston, Mass., for the commissioning of Strange Land, composed by Gregory W. Brown.
Choral Arts New England is delighted to announce the funding of 15 project grants totaling $33,000. Award recipients represent choral organizations from five of the six New England states.
The 2026 Alfred Nash Patterson Grants will be used to fund initiatives to expand choral opportunities across New England, as well as unique performances of pieces that give insight into important perspectives — traditional and contemporary Yiddish music, Alzheimer’s Stories, Trans Requiem, and Anthracite Fields, to name just a few.
"Nature has given to Man the first and finest of all instruments in his own Frame." —William Billings, On Vocal Music (1764)
