August 4th, 2007

About the Congressional Chorus
David Simmons, Artistic Director

Celebrating the spirit, diversity and power of American choral music has been the mission of the Congressional Chorus since its founding in 1987.  David Simmons, the current artistic director, was appointed to his position in 2006.  Initially an organization of people who worked on Capitol Hill, the group has since expanded its membership to diverse professions and backgrounds. In addition to its programs at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and at the Atlas Performing Arts Center in northeast DC, where it is an arts partner and the resident chorus, the Congressional Chorus has sung for several occasions at the White House and at numerous functions on Capitol Hill that have included presidential inaugurations and the Capitol Christmas tree lighting.  It’s most recent performance at The Capitol, for the Ceremonial Opening of the Capitol Visitors Center in December of 2008, was broadcast live on CNN and C-Span.  Other notable venues have been the Lincoln Memorial, Gunston Hall, the Lyceum, Union Station and the National Building Museum, where the chorus was featured on NBC’s televised “Christmas In Washington.”  

This past year the chorus was invited to perform several concerts at the new Harman Center for the Arts in downtown Washington as part of the “Happenings At The Harmen” series.  Congressional Chorus recordings include “Hang a Shining Star,” “Harmony on the Hill,” “Fondness and Joy” and “For The Beauty Of The Earth.”   Over the years the chorus has also commissioned a number of compositions in a dedicated effort to promote and advance the creation of new American choral works, exemplified most recently by the 2007 commissioning of “One Land” by local composer Rand Snell and by the chorus’ recent commissioning of New York composer Daniel Felsenfeld to compose a work, “The First Time I Saw Snow,”  which was premiered at our June 2009 Kennedy Center performance.

If you would be interested in hiring all or part of the chorus for a private function, or if you are interested in auditioning for the chorus, please contact Artistic Director David Simmons at david_simmons@congressionalchorus.org.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OFFICERS
Bette Mohr, President
Dave Cape, Vice President & Founding Member
Judith Kahn, Treasurer
Michelle Kannan, Secretary

MEMBERS
Valerie Boozer-Hayden
Pirie Gall
Michelle Kannan
Claudia Levy
Liz Megginson
Diana Pabst Parsell
Rosalie Person
Jim Petrick
Bayo Sharp-Johnson
Garry Sloan

In Memorium: Michael Patterson
Read about our founder.