Choir's 2008-2009 Season Celebrates Shafer's 40th Anniversary

WASHINGTON, DC. (Top40 Charts/ City Choir Of Washington) - The City Choir of Washington's second season will celebrate the 40th anniversary of GRAMMY Award-winning conductor, Robert Shafer and his many contributions to the Washington, D.C. area's musical vitality. Shafer, who was recently honored for his 25 years as Artist-in-Residence at the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music in Winchester, Va., will conduct the world premiere of his new work, Lux Aeterna, for chorus and orchestra at The City Choir's April 19, 2009 concert at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C.

The City Choir of Washington's 2008-2009 season opens with a performance of Handel's Israel in Egypt, which expresses the drama and grandeur of the Exodus, brought to life with double chorus, soloists, and orchestra. The concert takes place Saturday, November, 22, 2008, at 8:00 p.m. at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center in Alexandria, Va.

The City Choir's holiday concerts, Rejoice! Music for Christmas, on Friday, December 19, at 8:00 p.m., and Saturday, December 20, at 3:00 p.m., also at the Schlesinger Center, will present treasures from the Renaissance to our time, including carols for the audience to sing and the stirring contemporary work, O Magnum Mysterium by Jenifer Higdon.

On April 19, 2009, The City Choir debuts in Washington, D.C., with a program that includes the world premiere of Shafer's Lux Aeterna, Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, and Durufle's Requiem, all of the works making resplendent use of the National Presbyterian Church's renowned Aeolian-Skinner organ.

The City Choir of Washington, a 110-voice chorus, launched its inaugural season to critical acclaim in November 2007, with a performance of Handel's Solomon at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center in Alexandria, Va. In his review, The Washington Post's Stephen Brookes called the debut "a virtuosic performance.The chorus was really the star of the evening."

The City Choir of Washington is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, incorporated in the District of Columbia. For more information, contact Evelyn Fine (202) 271-3116 or visit www.thecitychoirofwashington.org.