Alexandria Choral Society To Celebrate 50th Season

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The Alexandria Choral Society will kick off its 50th season on Saturday, Oct. 19. The opening performance will be held at 7:30 p.m. at Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall on Northern Virginia Community College's Alexandria campus.

Formed in 1970 as part of the Performing Arts Association of Alexandria, the group became independently incorporated in 1978. Alexandria Choral Society has performed a wide range of choral works, from Renaissance to modern American composers. Major works for a chorus and orchestra have led to collaborations with the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra and other instrumental groups from Northern Virginia.

Alexandria Choral Society has been led by 11 artistic directors, from founding director Francisco de Araujo to Brian J. Isaac, who took the role in 2017. Isaac is also the artistic director of the Williamsburg Choral Guild as well as founder and artistic director of the Church Circle Singers in Annapolis, Maryland.

The group is over 100 members strong. Aside from performing, the group sponsored a Sing-Off grant program for youth choirs. According to a statement, the Alexandria Choral Society aims to "enhance the cultural life of the city of Alexandria and surrounding communities by presenting diverse and engaging vocal music programs at the highest artistic level."

The Oct. 19 performance will include libations provided by the Alexandria Society of Homebrewers, including an Oktoberfest, a Pumpkin Spice Anything Porter, and Sunrise Sphere, which is a session IPA brewed exclusively for Alexandria Choral Society.

Other performances lined up for the season are:

• Dec. 14, 2019, Seek Out Light: This joyful program features Will Todd’s Among Angels, a setting for choir and two harps, evoking images of "angels in flight." A number of traditional holiday carols and works by composers like Elizabeth Poston (Jesus Christ the Apple Tree), Susan Labarr (Huron Carol), and Herbert Howells (Magnificat ‘Collegium Regale) will ease you into the winter season ahead. This program will also include a matinee offering.
• March 7, 2020, Performance Art: This interactive program involves visual artists from the greater Alexandria and DC region showcasing their art during the concert and auctioning it off in the 50th anniversary gala afterward. Dr. Ben Hutchens and the Alexandria Kinderchoir will join as special guests in presenting new choral work by acclaimed composer Christopher Hoh.
• May 9, 2020, An American Songbook: This performance celebrates the great American jazz composers, and those they later inspired. The Alexandria Choral Society will perform works by Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, and Cole Porter, as well as Jeff Buckley, Ben Folds, and Simon and Garfunkel, to name a few. The evening will be joined by a talented local high school ensemble selected via ACS’s ‘Sing-Off Grant Program.’

For more information, visit www.alexandriachoralsociety.org.