Grant Park Chorus

Program

  • Jennifer Higdon (b. 1962) - somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond (2006) (5')
  • Arr. René Clausen (b. 1953) - Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair (2005) (6’)
  • Melissa Dunphy (b. 1980) - What do you think I fought for at Omaha Beach? (2010) (7')
  • arr. John Rutter - When the Saints Go Marching In (5’)
  • arr. Moses Hogan (1957-2003) - Elijah Rock (3')
  • Jake Runestad (b. 1986) - We Can Mend the Sky (2014) (8')
  • Stephen Paulus (1949-2014) - The Road Home (2001) (4')
  • American Choral Classics traces a broad emotional and musical arc through the most resonant strands of the American tradition: poetry, folk songs, spirituals, protest, and hymns. The journey begins in an intimate, shimmering sound world with Jennifer Higdon’s somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond, a luminous setting of e.e. cummings. This contemplative opening gives way to the haunting and tender textures of René Clausen’s Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair, which transforms the well-known folk song into a modern meditation. Bringing a sharply contemporary voice to the program, Melissa Dunphy’s What do you think I fought for at Omaha Beach? draws on the words of a World War II veteran to defend freedom and equality as central American ideals.
  • As the program unfolds, the focus shifts toward the communal and the transcendent. John Rutter’s arrangement of When the Saints Go Marching In injects the room with Dixieland energy and jubilant flair, while Moses Hogan’s Elijah Rock channels the rhythmic drive, power, and virtuosity of the spiritual tradition. Expanding the definition of "American" choral music to include stories of migration and hope, Jake Runestad’s We Can Mend the Sky utilizes poetry by Somali immigrant Warda Mohamed alongside traditional Somali proverbs. The program concludes in a spirit of solace with Stephen Paulus’s beloved The Road Home. Together, these works form a portrait of America in many voices: reflective and exuberant, deeply rooted yet always evolving. Program notes provided by the Grant Park Chrous

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. 

About the Rush Hour Concerts

The concerts are generously sponsored by the Irving Harris Foundation and partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.

Upcoming Performances

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