Richard Coffey, Music Director:

"Extravagant joy" is how choral singing has been described from the singer point of view. What about from the audience point of view? The listener who wrote me following a concert to say, "The singing changed my life," offers about the best answer I can think of.

Do you sing? Do you love music? Do you love Choral music? Whether your answer is yes or no, there is something for you in The Hartford Chorale, our region's principal symphonic chorus (and more!). We are a weekly gathering of more than 180 voices who put aside all else to master the great choral repertoire and then to bring those masterpieces to thousands of listeners in southern New England.

So ... what's in it for you? Attend a concert, and see if your life is changed! The next opportunity? Come hear the Britten War Requiem in May, 2010.

How about some "extravagant joy"? If you were, are, or would like to be a choral singer, come check us out at work on Monday evenings. We fling wide our doors and welcome visitors who can, even from the sidelines, capture some of the extravagant joy that reveals itself after dogged, disciplined, energized toil in rehearsal. Give us a call for details, and come find out for yourself. It all may be inexplicable, but it is rare, and genuine.

Richard Coffey, Music Director

Congratulations to Richard Coffey, who was awarded the Alfred Nash Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award by Choral Arts New England in October 2009!