80 Years of Excellence
1941
Robert Shaw founds The Collegiate Chorale with Gordon Berger at Marble Collegiate Church. Shaw becomes the first Music Director of The Chorale and holds that position from 1941-1953.
1948
The Collegiate Chorale performs the Verdi Requiem under the baton of Arturo Toscanini with the NBC Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.
1952
The Collegiate Chorale performs at the opening of the United Nations.
1962
The Collegiate Chorale performs the Bach St. Matthew Passion with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein at Carnegie Hall.
1981
Mayor Koch issues an official proclamation declaring January 31, 1981 “Collegiate Chorale Day” in honor of The Chorale’s 40 years of cultural service to New York City.
1998
Robert Bass institutes the “Opera-in-Concert” series as an annual component of each season’s programming, beginning with Verdi’s Nabucco. The series continues to this day and has featured many world-class artists including: Deborah Voigt, Harolyn Blackwell, Salvatore Licitra, Dolora Zajick, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Ewa Podles and Nathan Gunn.
2002
Roger Rees narrates Weber’s Oberon for The Chorale and is named Artistic Associate, working with The Chorale to develop the “American Masters” series exploring works of musical theater and their origins. This popular series continues to the present day and has featured works of Leonard Bernstein, Scott Joplin, Philip Glass, Kurt Weill, Ricky Ian Gordon, and others.
2003
The Collegiate Chorale launches its “Side-by-Side” Education program allowing a select group of high school students the opportunity to rehearse and perform with The Collegiate Chorale in New York and abroad.
2005
The Collegiate Chorale makes its Verbier Festival (Switzerland) debut in the Verdi Requiem under the baton of James Levine.
2010
The Collegiate Chorale presents the New York Premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon and Michael Korie’s The Grapes of Wrath at Carnegie Hall with Nathan Gunn, Victoria Clark, Christine Ebersole, Jane Fonda (Narrator), and Ted Sperling (Conductor).
2014
The Collegiate Chorale presents the New York Premiere of David Lang’s battle hymns at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum with the Manhattan Girls Chorus and James Bagwell, conductor.
2015
The Collegiate Chorale announces its new name MasterVoices and a new series at New York City Center.
2017
MasterVoices celebrates its 75th Anniversary and its second mayoral proclamation declaring Monday, May 22, 2017, officially MasterVoices Day!
2021
MasterVoices received our 1st Drama League Nomination for Best Digital Concert Production for MYTHS AND HYMNS.
Collaborators
For 75 years, MasterVoices has collaborated with world-renowned artists, orchestras, conductors, and creative teams.
Artists Orchestras Conductors creatives
Repertoire
MasterVoices performs a broad range of vocal repertoire, including opera-in-concert, operetta, musical theatre, choral classics, commissions and premieres, and more.
Operas-in-Concert Choral Classics Musical theater Commissions & Premieres Special Events & Collaborations
International Appearances
In 2005, Maestro James Levine invited MasterVoices to perform at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland. This initial appearance has led to led to a fruitful and ongoing musical relationship with the Verbier Festival and two international tours with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.