About CONCORA - Connecticut Choral Artists
Connecticut Choral Artists presents choral music at the highest level, from the Baroque to the present day. CONCORA programs challenge, excite, educate, and inspire audiences across New England.
Under the direction of Chris Shepard, Artistic Director, the ensemble’s versatility is displayed in its wide range of repertoire and in the crafting of ensembles from among the choir’s roster of singers.
CONCORA has been praised as “one of the premier musical forces in the state,” “one of our region’s priceless musical assets,” and “a model of choral artistry.”
Choral music has the power to cross cultural boundaries and to move hearts; CONCORA’s mission to reach a broad and diverse audience extends not only to the choral aficionado, but also to those who may be touched by the beauty of the choral art for the first time.
Under the direction of Chris Shepard, Artistic Director, the ensemble’s versatility is displayed in its wide range of repertoire and in the crafting of ensembles from among the choir’s roster of singers.
CONCORA has been praised as “one of the premier musical forces in the state,” “one of our region’s priceless musical assets,” and “a model of choral artistry.”
Choral music has the power to cross cultural boundaries and to move hearts; CONCORA’s mission to reach a broad and diverse audience extends not only to the choral aficionado, but also to those who may be touched by the beauty of the choral art for the first time.
History
Since its founding in 1974 by Artistic Director Emeritus Richard Coffey, CONCORA has held a unique place in the arts community as Connecticut’s first professional choir, and has built a reputation for artistic excellence throughout New England. The ensemble was the recipient of the 2003 Governor’s Arts Award, joining the ranks of such recipients as Marion Anderson, Arthur Miller, and Jacques Pepin. A truly regional choir, CONCORA regularly performs beyond central Connecticut, including Stamford, Storrs, Stonington, New London, and Worcester, Massachusetts.
CONCORA is the resident choir of the CT Early Music Festival under the direction of Ian Watson, and has appeared on many occasions with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. The choir has long had a special relationship with the music of J.S. Bach; in addition to performing all of Bach’s major choral works in recent years, it gave the 2021 world premiere of the Prayer in B Minor, a Hebrew version of Bach’s B Minor Mass. In conjunction with Music Worcester, CONCORA will be a major partner in THE COMPLETE BACH from 2024 to 2035, the first project in America to present everything that Bach ever wrote.
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Chris Shepard, the choir has deepened its commitment to socially-conscious programming over the past decade, particularly in its Music with a Mission collaborations with Asylum Hill Congregational Church. They have presented Considering Matthew Shepard with the UCONN Chamber Choir, Geoffrey Hudson’s Passion for the Planet, Reena Esmail’s This Love Between Us, as well as retrospective concerts honoring the legacy of Black composers Margaret Bonds and Moses Hogan.
CONCORA is the resident choir of the CT Early Music Festival under the direction of Ian Watson, and has appeared on many occasions with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. The choir has long had a special relationship with the music of J.S. Bach; in addition to performing all of Bach’s major choral works in recent years, it gave the 2021 world premiere of the Prayer in B Minor, a Hebrew version of Bach’s B Minor Mass. In conjunction with Music Worcester, CONCORA will be a major partner in THE COMPLETE BACH from 2024 to 2035, the first project in America to present everything that Bach ever wrote.
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Chris Shepard, the choir has deepened its commitment to socially-conscious programming over the past decade, particularly in its Music with a Mission collaborations with Asylum Hill Congregational Church. They have presented Considering Matthew Shepard with the UCONN Chamber Choir, Geoffrey Hudson’s Passion for the Planet, Reena Esmail’s This Love Between Us, as well as retrospective concerts honoring the legacy of Black composers Margaret Bonds and Moses Hogan.