Oratorio Society of Virginia

The Oratorio Society of Virginia presents a variety of music each year, including classics from the greatest composers, such as Bach’s Mass in B minor, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony, and Handel’s Coronation Anthems, as well as modern choral compositions and opera. Recent collaborative partners have included the UVA University Singers, Charlottesville Opera (previously Ash Lawn Opera), Wintergreen Music Festival, Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, Charlottesville Ballet, Charlottesville Symphony, Zion Union Baptist Church Choir, Staunton Music Festival, and a number of regional youth and school choral ensembles. As part of our 50th anniversary celebration in 2018, we also had the honor of commissioning composer Adolphus Hailstork to set the poetry of former U.S Poet Laureate and UVA professor Rita Dove, resulting in the world premiere of The World Called. But no matter where or what we’re performing, we take the stage with the same mission: To unite our voices in an effort to express the best of the human spirit and spark a transformation among all who are in attendance. Through performing the songs and stories that have filled the histories of choruses, we seek to embody a work of art that connects our community through the emotions we all share.