Commonwealth Chorale 2026-27 season ticket

2026-2027 Season
Our 51st Season
Voices That Move Us

Our 51st season celebrates the extraordinary power of the human voice to move us—to comfort, inspire, astonish, and challenge us. 

From the serene beauty of Duruflé, the contemporary compassion of O’Regan, and a new composition from a chorus member in our November concert, to the radiant joy and wonder of Vivaldi and Zelenka in March, these works reveal music’s power to touch us deeply. 

We conclude in May with Mendelssohn, Borodin, and Florence Price, whose music transforms struggle and adversity into expressions of courage, dignity, and hope. 

Across three compelling programs, please join us as we travel with voices from different eras and cultures, exploring experiences that remain deeply human and relevant today. Through the season’s journey, they invite us to reflect, rejoice, remember, and discover anew the remarkable ways voices can move us.

• Sunday, November 22, 2026, 4 PM, at 2nd Church Newton, MA - Commemorate and Remember
  A radiant afternoon of powerful recollection, evocative  reflection, and contemporary choral expression

• Sunday, March 7, 2027, 4 PM, at First Baptist Church, Newton, MA - Venetian Light, Dresden Fervor
  Joy, wonder, and discovery come together as Vivaldi’s beloved masterpieces meet Zelenka’s thrilling, rarely heard Baroque voice.

• Sunday, May 23, 2027, 7 PM, at Cary Hall, Lexington, MA - Defiant Voices, Resilient Hope
  Where struggle becomes song, discover music of defiance,  resilience, and hope from three extraordinary voices across generations.

(Scroll down to read more about each concert.)

November 22, 2026, at 4 PM
Commemorate and Remember

Second Church, West Newton

Duruflé’s breathtaking Requiem offers profound beauty and consolation, while O’Regan’s Triptych lends a distinctly contemporary choral voice.  Completing the program is a premiere by a young chorus member, Charlotte Koonce.

Program

Maurice Duruflé: Requiem, Opus 9
Tarik O'Regan: Triptych
Charlotte Koonce: New composition

Personnel

Maria Whitcomb, soprano
Laura Couch, mezzo-soprano
Andrew Sheranian, organ
With Chamber Orchestra

Sunday, March 7, 2027 @ 4 PM
Venetian Light, Dresden Fervor

First Baptist Church, Newton, Massachusetts

This program brings together three remarkable late Baroque works by Antonio Vivaldi and under-recognized Jan Dismas Zelenka, composers whose music reflects two vibrant European centers: the luminous world of Venice and the passionate musical culture of Dresden.

Program

Antonio Vivaldi:  Gloria (RV 589)
Antonio Vivaldi:  Magnificat (RV 610)
Jan Dismas Zelenka:  Dixit Dominus (ZMV 66)

Personnel

Maria Whitcomb, soprano
Laura Couch, mezzo-soprano
Matthew McGinnis, tenor
William Farrell, bass
With chamber orchestra

Sunday, May 23, 2027 at 7 PM
Defiant Voices, Resilient Hope

Cary Hall, Lexington

Through Mendelssohn, Borodin, and Florence Price, this program explores stories of struggle, courage, and hope. From cultural resistance to personal perseverance, these powerful works reveal how music can transform adversity into expressions of dignity, resilience, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.

Program

Felix Mendelssohn: Die Erste Walpurgisnacht
Aleksandr Borodin: Polovtsian Dances
Florence Price: Song of Hope
Florence Price: Ethiopia’s Shadow in America [orchestral work]

Personnel

Maria Whitcomb, soprano
Laura Couch, mezzo-soprano
Other voices, TBD
New Philharmonia Orchestra