MasterVoices Inc. (Formerly The Collegiate Chorale)

MasterVoices, Inc. (“Organization”) is a producing and performing organization, whose highly theatrical concerts of classical, opera, and musical theater works celebrate the joy of choral singing, the art of musical storytelling, and the power of the human voice. Its historic volunteer Chorus, founded in 1941 by legendary choral conductor Robert Shaw (and then known as The Collegiate Chorale), has 125+ members from all walks of life who range in age from 16 to 80. The Chorus performs alongside world-class soloists in venues ranging from prestigious concert halls to local auditoriums, manifesting its mission to make music that is of the highest quality and accessible to all.

Under the Artistic Direction of Tony Award-winner Ted Sperling since 2015, annual programs reach nearly include:

• CONCERTS: A season of professionally presented concerts, featuring the Chorus alongside A-list orchestras, soloists, and collaborative artists from fashion, dance, visual art, and theater. Concerts range from popular favorites such as Carmen and Pirates of Penzance to hidden gems, newly commissioned works, and genre-defying hybrids. Organization regularly presents at Carnegie Hall, New York City Center, and Jazz @ Lincoln Center, while increasingly performing in less traditional venues such as the Intrepid Museum, Ansche Chesed Synagogue, and The Great Hall at Cooper Union. Each year over 3,000 free tickets are distributed to students, seniors, and underserved audiences.

• EDUCATION: For 25 years, Organization’s Side-By-Side Program has mentored aspiring singers from diverse high schools across the region. Each year, 20+ students learn and work side-by-side with a Chorus member, ultimately performing in concerts at Carnegie Hall and other venues throughout the season. Dozens have gone on to professional study; many now enjoy professional careers in music.

• COMMUNITY OUTREACH: Launched in 2016, Organization’s Bridges Program engages entire communities in the process of making music. Each project takes nearly 2 years to develop; once a community is selected, a specially commissioned composer-in-residence works with community members to create an original piece shaped by their stories, abilities, and perspectives. The piece is performed for local audiences, followed by a reprise in a Manhattan venue.

MasterVoices was founded in 1941 by legendary conductor Robert Shaw, known as the “dean of American choral singing.” Shaw believed choral singing was a manifestation of democracy – distinct voices coming together to create a stronger whole. He founded the group (then called The Collegiate Chorale) as the first interracial, interfaith volunteer chorus in America.

Under the Artistic Direction of Tony Award-winner Ted Sperling since 2013, and led by a professional staff and board, the spirit of inclusion and the power of the human voice remain at the heart of our work. From our acclaimed 130+ member chorus to the array of world-class soloists who perform with us each year, our concerts are known for their vitality and scale. We perform a wide range of repertoire, from choral classics and operas to musical theater and world premiere commissions. In keeping with our history, artists of color continue to figure prominently as soloists, composers, and collaborators.

MasterVoices (formerly The Collegiate Chorale) was founded in 1941 by Robert Shaw, and is currently under the artistic direction of Ted Sperling. For 78 years, the organization has presented varied programming, with emphasis in three areas: choral masterpieces, operas in concert, and musical theater. Choral classics performed by MasterVoices have included Bach’s St. Matthew and St. John Passions, Brahms’ Requiem, Britten’s War Requiem, Fauré’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Verdi’s Requiem. The company has presented several important premieres, including the U.S. premieres of Dvorak’s Dmitri and Handel’s Jupiter in Argos, and the NY premieres of Respighi’s La Fiamma, Glass’s The Juniper Tree, and Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath. Other rarely heard operas in concert have included Bellini’s Beatrice di Tenda, Tchaikovsky’s Maid of Orleans, Rossini’s Moïse et Pharaon, and Joplin’s Treemonisha. Throughout its history, MasterVoices has specialized in presenting rarely heard works of musical theater and standard works with a fresh approach, including Bernstein’s A White House Cantata, Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado and The Pirates of Penzance, Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, and Weill’s The Firebrand of Florence, Knickerbocker Holiday, and the world premiere of a concert version of The Road of Promise.

MasterVoices has performed in prominent NYC concert halls, including Carnegie Hall, New York City Center, and Geffen Hall, under the batons of many esteemed conductors, including Serge Koussevitzky, Arturo Toscanini, Leonard Bernstein, James Levine, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, and Alan Gilbert. The company has also attracted many world-class soloists, including Bryn Terfel, René Pape, Stephanie Blythe, Deborah Voigt, Eric Owens, Thomas Hampson, Kelli O’Hara, Paulo Szot and Victoria Clark. MasterVoices has been hired to perform with many top orchestras over the years, including the NBC Symphony, The New York Philharmonic and The Israel Philharmonic, and has been invited to appear abroad, in Israel and at the Verbier and Salzburg festivals.

MasterVoices considers education and outreach to be important aspects of its work. Its Side-by-Side program offers gifted high school students the opportunity to rehearse and perform with guidance from singing members and professional artists in New York and abroad. Additionally, MasterVoices gives complimentary tickets to hundreds of high school students and seniors from New York each season, and invites young soloists to perform at top venues as a part of the Faith Geier Artist Initiative. In June 2016, MasterVoices launched “Bridges: Connecting Communities Through Music”, a new outreach program that provides people in a NYC community the opportunity to make music with MasterVoices, regardless of their abilities or backgrounds.

MasterVoices aims to continue its programs and expand their reach and purpose as the times and needs of the community dictate.