Founded by Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival in 1962, the Grant Park Chorus is an acclaimed ensemble comprised of more than 140 exceptional vocalists. Highly esteemed in the professional choral community, the ensemble has been the recipient of Chorus America’s prestigious Margaret Hillis Award for artistic excellence. Beyond their acclaimed work, chorus members maintain busy careers with frequent solo appearances and teaching roles, and perform with other major ensembles, including the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Chicago Symphony Chorus.

In 2026, Christopher Bell begins his 25th season as the director of the Grant Park Chorus, where he has been the artistic force behind the ensemble’s critically acclaimed recordings and performances. His tenure has brought the chorus international recognition and earned Bell himself the Michael Korn Founders Award for the Development of the Professional Choral Art. Largely responsible for the formation of the National Youth Choirs of Scotland, Bell is highly regarded for his extensive work with the Edinburgh Festival and major ensembles like the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Chorus and the Ulster Orchestra, the two-time honorary doctorate recipient is widely recognized as a choral leader dedicated to both professional excellence and the future of the art form.

Founded in 1935 by the Chicago Park District as a free, world-class outdoor classical music series, the Grant Park Music Festival quickly became a summer music sensation for the city. For nearly a century, visionary Chicagoans have sustained this unique tradition which features the acclaimed Grant Park Chorus and the Grammy-nominated Grant Park Orchestra. Offering nearly 200 free concerts and educational events across the city each summer, the Festival provides innovative programming and serves as a model for orchestral institutions nationwide, all the while remaining truly classic, Chicago, and free. The 2026 season will run from June 10 through August 15.