History

The Choristers began in 1977 with a group of eight Ursinus College graduates including The Choristers’ Artistic Director, David Spitko.  By the following year, the choir had doubled in size and over the years grew to 70 voices.  The Choristers are headquartered in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and are now known as one of the premier choirs in the northwestern suburbs of Philladelphia.

 In the beginning, much of the music was a cappella, and while still enjoying a cappella music, more often The Choristers performs to full orchestra.  The choir has also been accompanied by jazz bands, a renaissance band, a blue grass band and very talented soloists.

 The Choristers created both an Endowment Fund and an Operating Reserve Fund to ensure the future of the Choristers.  We also hired Associate Director, Kelly Wyszomierski which allowed for expanded sectional work, coverage in the event the Collaborative Pianist or Artistic Director were unavailable, and overall collaboration with the Artistic Director.

 The mission of The Choristers includes offering performances of challenging and/or unjustly neglected choral works and as such, we have presented a variety of works, some well-known, but others more obscure, including: 

  • Bach - Cantata 191 (Gloria in excelsis Deo)
  • Bach - Mass in B Minor
  • Bach - St. Matthew’s Passion
  • Bach -- Singet dem Herrn
  • Bach - The Passion According to St. John
  • Barber - The Monk and His Cat
  • Barnett - The World Beloved: Bluegrass Mass
  • Beethoven -  Missa Solemnis
  • Beethoven - Ninth Symphony
  • Bernstein - Chichester Psalms
  • Brahms - A German Requiem
  • Britten - Ceremony of Carols
  • Brubeck - To Hope! A Celebration
  • Bruckner - Mass in E Minor
  • Byrd - Mass for Four Voices
  • Davies - Songs from the Ark
  • Duruflé - Quatre Motets Sur Des Themes Gregoriens
  • Dvorák - Stabat Mater
  • Dvorák - Mass in D
  • Ellington - I’m Beginning To See The Light
  • Ellington - Sacred Concerts
  • Fauré - Requiem
  • Finzi - God Is Gone Up
  • Gershwin - Porgy & Bess
  • Gjeilo - Sunrise Mass
  • Handel - Chandos Anthem #11 (Let God Arise)
  • Handel - Coronation Anthems
  • Handel - Messiah
  • Handel -- Utrecht Jubilate
  • Haydn - Harmoniemesse
  • Haydn - Lord Nelson's Mass
  • Haydn - Te Deum
  • Howells - Like As The Hart
  • Lauridsen - Lux Aeterna
  • Lennon/McCartney - Blackbird
  • Liszt - Missa Choralis
  • Mathias - Let The People Praise Thee, O God
  • Mendelssohn – Elijah
  • Mozart - Mass in C Minor
  • Mozart - Requiem
  • Mozart - Vesperae Solennes de Confessore
  • Palestrina - Missa Papae Marcelli Mass
  • Rachmaninoff - All Night Vigil
  • Ray - Gospel Mass
  • Rutter – Magnificat
  • Rutter - Mass of the Children
  • Rutter - Requiem
  • Scarlatti -- Te gloriosus
  • Smith - Vespers
  • Stanford - Nunc Dimittis from Evening Service In C, Op 115
  • Thompson – Frostiana
  • Thompson - Testament to Freedom
  • Vaughan Williams - Flos Campi
  • Vaughan Williams - Dona Nobis Pacem
  • Vaughan Williams - Mass in G Minor
  • Whitacre - Animal Crackers
  • Whitacre - Little Birds
  • Whitacre -Lux Aurumque

 In addition, the choir has partnered with area composer David Hobbs to performed two works commissioned for The Choristers:  The King of Peace and Jubilate and Te Deum.  In 2019, The Choristers commissioned Persian Folk Songs by Tom Hasani, who is also a Choristers’ tenor and board member.

 Recent Years

The global COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States in early 2020 and caused The Choristers to pause in-person rehearsals and concerts.  However, through Spring of 2021 The Choristers rehearsed virtually and created four virtual choir performances:   the hymn Unto Thee, O Lord; the traditional Welsh Lullaby for Christmas, Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus, and Krichner’s Unclouded Day.  You can find them on YouTube.

 We are coming together in Fall of 2021 with the expectation (subject to the pandemic) of performing our concert entitled A Celebration of Black Composers including works by Dawson, Burleigh, Carter, Dett, Powell, Hailstork, Ellington, Hogan and Ray.

 Click here if you would like to know more.