About the Northern Virginia Chorale's Performing History

Artistic Director, Bob Webb leads the Chorale and orchestra in "We Remember Them." — Artistic Director Emeritus, Bob Webb leads the Chorale and orchestra in, *“We Remember Them,”*
—NVC Fall Concert of 2017. *Chorale Photography by Dean Beasom*.

The Northern Virginia Chorale—formerly known as the Springfield Chorale—will celebrate its 48th Performing Season this year, 2023-2024.

Founded by Rev. Jack Martin and his wife Marianne in 1975, the Northern Virginia Chorale has sought to present performances of distinguished choral music from a variety of genres. In 1982 Robert S. Webb, Jr., became the musical director, and the Chorale grew to include a vast repertoire ranging from classical to contemporary music from a variety of genres as well as international travel and exchanges with other chorales. After 41 years he retired and is succeeded by Trevor Tran, who intends to continue this tradition and to expand the repertoire even further to include sounds from other parts of the world and composers not usually featured.

In addition to its three local concerts each season, the Chorale has performed in several European venues. In 1988, the Chorale participated in the First International Warwick Choral Festival of Warwick, England led by the world-renowned composer, John Rutter, whose works we also frequently perform in our concerts at home. We have performed in Varna, Bulgaria; Salisbury, England; Munich, Germany; Vienna, Austria; and in Paris, France. The Chorale also participated in an exchange program with the Claye Vocale in Claye-Souilly, France giving concerts there in 1999, and again in 2002. In July of 2008, we participated in a musical festival in Northern Italy consisting of nine chorales. We conducted seven concerts near Verona and Lago di Garda, culminating our tour by singing at San Marco’s Cathedral in Venice.

Closer to home, the Chorale has sung with the Washington, Fairfax, and Alexandria Symphony Orchestras; at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception; the National Cathedral; the French Embassy, as well as in the Pageant of Peace on the National Mall. More recently, the Chorale has had the honor of singing with the distinguished Metropolitan Chorus in the Handel’s Messiah Sing-along concert, held annually at the Kennedy Center during the Holiday season.

In the years before Covid, the Chorale had an Outreach Program that brought music to area retirement and nursing homes and performed for civic and business events. The Chorale also benefited from Bob Webb’s association with the Annandale Campus of the Northern Virginia Community College, whose students received college credit for singing with us in both our holiday and spring concerts.

Image link showing female solo singers performing the West Side Story Suite. — **Visit our New Singers’ Information page,** **for more** **information about** **Rehearsals and Auditions**.