Cathedral Choral Society Announces 2026-27 Season
Cathedral Choral Society has announced its 2026–2027 season, and it promises to be one of the ensemble's most memorable in recent years. The upcoming lineup spans Rossini's late-life masterwork, a golden anniversary for Washington's most cherished holiday tradition, an immersive tribute to the English cathedral tradition, and the grand finale of a multi-year project honoring African American contributions to the nation's musical heritage. Subscription packages and individual tickets go on sale later this summer at cathedralchoralsociety.org.
Rossini's Farewell to the Stage — and to the World
The season opens on Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 6pm with Gioachino Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle. The composer famously described the piece with a wink, calling it the last sin of his old age, and the joke extends to the title itself: the work is neither petite nor consistently solemn. What audiences will discover instead is one of the most personal statements Rossini ever put to paper — a sacred work infused with the melodic sparkle and theatrical flair of his beloved comic operas, yet shot through with an unexpected tenderness.
Scored for chorus, soloists, two pianos, and harmonium, the piece unfolds as an intimate meditation on faith and mortality, complete with dazzling, virtuosic arias. Rossini himself thought of it as his final appeal for a place in paradise, and hearing it performed live makes a compelling case that he earned one.
Half a Century of Joy of Christmas
On December 12, 1976, Cathedral Choral Society presented the first-ever Joy of Christmas. Fifty years later, the concert has become a fixture of the Washington holiday calendar, and this season the ensemble celebrates the milestone with three performances: Saturday, December 12, 2026 at 2pm and 6pm, and Sunday, December 13, 2026 at 6pm.
Expect everything that has made this tradition endure — sing-along carols, brilliant brass, thundering organ, and the ringing of the carillon — all set within one of the most breathtaking spaces in the city. To honor the anniversary, CCS will also bring back selections from its favorite commissioned works of the past five decades, pieces that first premiered at Joy of Christmas and have since found their way into the repertoires of choirs around the globe. Whether you've attended every year since the Ford administration or you're planning your very first visit, this golden-anniversary edition is the one to catch.
A Pilgrimage to England's Great Cathedrals
On Sunday, March 7, 2027 at 6pm, the Society turns its attention across the Atlantic with In Severn and Stone: Music for an English Cathedral. The program traces the choral tradition that grew up beneath the soaring vaults of England's historic sacred spaces, featuring music by Herbert Howells, Hubert Hastings Parry, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Judith Bingham, Edward Bairstow, and Benjamin Britten.
These composers were shaped by ancient landscapes and centuries-old stone, and their music carries that atmosphere with it. Performed in a setting where the acoustics themselves become part of the experience, this concert offers Washington audiences a chance to hear quintessentially English repertoire the way it was meant to resonate.
A Nation's Song, Still Being Written
The season concludes on Sunday, May 16, 2027 at 6pm with I, Too, Am America, the culminating concert of the "I, Too, Sing America" Project — a multi-year partnership between Cathedral Choral Society and Heritage Signature Chorale celebrating the profound contributions of African Americans to the country's musical life.
The program spotlights a new generation of Black composers, with newly commissioned orchestral works by Michael Abels, John Stoddart, and Jessie Montgomery, including two world premieres. Arriving as the United States wraps up its semiquincentennial year, the concert frames the nation not as a completed story but as a work in progress — one whose music is still being composed, and whose most powerful verses may be yet to come.
Don't Miss It
From Rossini's twilight confession to brand-new American voices, this season offers a remarkable range of choral experiences under one roof. Tickets and subscriptions go on sale later this summer; visit cathedralchoralsociety.org and follow Cathedral Choral Society on social media to be first in line.