The Thirteen Chamber Choir The Thirteen Choir

Concerts & Workshops: The Thirteen's 2022-23 Season presented six choral programs for over 3000 audience members in 17 concerts that were stirring and state-of-the-art. We also organized two workshops for students reaching 34 participants. Besides performing live in our communities, we offered online experiences to a growing worldwide audience. October saw the culmination of our recent Monteverdi exploration with his magisterial 1610 Vespers for soloists, choir & orchestra. Romantic ideals featured in November's concert spanning the 19th to 21st centuries, with pieces by Brahms, Barber, Walker, and Shaw among others. The "Gloria" program adorned the December holidays with splendors from Vivaldi and Bach, again with orchestra. Spring brought two more masterpieces. Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil rocked the rafters in March with thrilling sound that included North America's finest low basses. May offered Martin's stunning Mass for double choir in a regular concert, plus a gala garden party with springtime gems. This May concert showcased our second class of Vocal Fellows and presented music, alongside the Martin, of Dett, Beach, and Ravel. Note that our concert and workshop activity also benefits from expenses associated below with recordings and commissions.

Commissioning and New Works: Several performances highlighted The Thirteen's championing of newer works that reimagine the power of vocal ensembles. November premiered Ed Rex's compelling "Safe in Their Alabaster Chambers." The same program included the rarely heard "O Praise the Lord" by Washingtonian George Walker, the first African American to win the Pulitzer in Music, as well as 2012's ground-breaking "Fly Away I" by Caroline Shaw. Our recording of The Outer Edge of Youth (see Section B above) further demonstrated The Thirteen's commitment to our commissioned composers. OperaWire called the work "contemplative ... thought-provoking;" now other groups are programming it to perform elsewhere. Note that our commissioning and new works activity also benefits from expenses associated above with concerts and recordings.

Recordings: This season gave birth to two first-rate albums. The Outer Edge of Youth, our acclaimed choral opera commissioned from Scott Ordway, was released in September and sold out quickly. Its "music shimmers, soars, and settles... creating an ecstatic catharsis" in the words of Gramophone's reviewer. In May the two-CD album of the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 garnered praise as "shimmering in loveliness" (MusicWeb International). It also sold out and new pressings were required. These and previous fine recordings of exciting music resulted in 510 compact discs (CDs) sold and distributed in addition to online delivery of video and audio. Note that our recording activity also benefits from expenses associated above and below with concerts and commissions.