GMChorale strives to share the transformative power of choral music by fostering participation, education, and appreciation across all ages, enriching lives and building community through song.

Founded in 1977 as The Greater Middletown Chorale, GMChorale has evolved into one of New England’s most respected and engaging classical choruses. The Chorale is celebrated for its compelling programming, stirring symphonic choral concerts, and collaborations with leading orchestras including New Haven Symphony Orchestra, Hartford Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra New England. Under the artistic leadership of Joseph D’Eugenio since 1998, GMChorale is now a choral arts organization consisting of a 90-member ensemble, Alchemy Vocal Chamber Ensemble, and Harmonia Chamber Orchestra. The Chorale performs a rich, diverse repertoire, ranging from beloved masterworks to newly commissioned works that reflect the vitality and relevance of choral music today.

Recent concerts have featured masterworks from the Baroque Era through the Romantic, including Handel’s Te Deum, Bach’s Cantata No. 4 (Christ lag in Todesbanden), Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s The Creation and Mass in Time of War, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, Schubert’s Mass in E flat major, and Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, as well as his complete Liebeslieder Waltzes. Verdi’s monumental Messa da Requiem caps the Chorale’s 50th Anniversary Season.

Embracing innovative compositions and arrangements from more recent decades is a hallmark of GMChorale’s commitment to fostering new music. Under Maestro D’Eugenio’s direction, the ensemble has commissioned and premiered works by prominent composers such as Gwyneth Walker, Colin Britt, Ellen Gilson Voth, Henry Mollicone, and more. Among its most notable projects is Letter from Italy, 1944, a large-scale oratorio composed by Sarah Meneely-Kyder with libretto by poet Nancy Meneely. Premiered to great acclaim in 2013, the oratorio also was the subject of an Emmy Award-winning documentary by filmmaker Karyl Evans and narrated by Meryl Streep. In 2017, the oratorio was presented in a landmark semi-staged performance with GMChorale, Hartford Chorale, and Hartford Symphony Orchestra at the Bushnell Performing Arts Center in Hartford.

During international concert tours, the voices of the Chorale have resounded in the great cathedrals and churches of Rome, Florence, Venice and Prague, reflecting the group’s commitment to excellence and cultural exchange. Back in the United States, the singers have felt equally at home in venues as diverse as the Connecticut State Capitol, Crowell Concert Hall at Wesleyan University, Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown, and even the floating concert hall of the American Wind Symphony Orchestra on the Connecticut River!

As it continues to grow and evolve, GMChorale embraces a guiding principle of “Singing for a Lifetime,” that is, engaging singers and listeners of all ages in the joy and transformative power of choral music. What began five decades ago as a community chorus has grown through collaborations with Elm City Girls’ Choir, Saecula Singers, Middletown High School, Wesleyan University, esteemed soloists, Orchestra New England, and many other musical partners. These collaborations and the power of music to transform are celebrated in Thomas Brand’s Sing On!, commissioned and premiered by GMChorale in celebration of the Chorale’s 50 th Anniversary.

With its distinctive blend of tradition, innovation, and community engagement, GMChorale remains a vital force in the cultural life of the region.