Role

:

Ensemble

Period

:

Renaissance

Genre

:

Choral

 

Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum Chamber Choir is a classical music ensemble that has been active for over 60 years. The group was founded in 1957 by Murray Forbes Somerville, a musicologist and choral conductor who was then a graduate student at Harvard University. Somerville envisioned the group as a way to bring together talented singers from Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges to perform choral music from a wide range of historical periods and styles. The group's early years were marked by a focus on Renaissance and Baroque music, with performances of works by composers such as Palestrina, Monteverdi, and Bach. In the 1960s and 1970s, the group expanded its repertoire to include music from the Romantic and modern periods, as well as works by contemporary composers. The group's commitment to performing a diverse range of music has remained a hallmark of its identity to this day. Over the years, the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum Chamber Choir has performed in a variety of venues, both on and off campus. The group has given concerts in churches, concert halls, and other performance spaces throughout the Boston area, as well as in other parts of the United States and abroad. The group has also collaborated with other musical ensembles, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Handel and Haydn Society. One of the highlights of the group's history was its performance at the inauguration of Harvard University President Drew Faust in 2007. The group performed a piece by composer John Harbison, who was then a professor at Harvard, as well as other works. The performance was widely praised for its beauty and elegance, and helped to raise the profile of the group both on campus and beyond. In addition to its many performances, the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum Chamber Choir has also received numerous awards and accolades over the years. In 2015, the group was awarded the prestigious Alice Parker ASCAP Award for Choral Excellence, which recognizes outstanding choral ensembles from around the world. The group has also been featured on several recordings, including a 2017 album of music by the composer James Wood. Throughout its long and storied history, the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum Chamber Choir has remained committed to excellence in choral performance and to the exploration of a wide range of musical styles and traditions. The group's dedication to its craft has earned it a reputation as one of the finest choral ensembles in the United States, and its performances continue to inspire and delight audiences around the world.

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