Irving S. Gilmore School of Music

University Chorale

Conducted by Dr. Amanda Quist, the University Chorale is the premier choral ensemble at Western Michigan University. Open to all students throughout the University, Chorale (MUS 1120) is selected by audition and meets Monday through Friday from 11 to 11:50 a.m. Chorale explores a wide range of repertoire and performs pieces from all historical eras and a variety of cultures. Through Chorale, students aspire to a professional-level rehearsal and performance process. The Chorale's annual performance itinerary includes concerts and festivals on campus, appearances in neighboring communities and churches, and tours within the United States and abroad.

University Chorale has a long history of excellence in performance and competition, and has appeared alongside professional ensembles such as the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, Seraphic Fire, and Voces8. Chorale has been invited to perform at multiple conventions of the American Choral Directors Association, including the 2003 ACDA National Conference in NYC, the 2016 Central Division Conference in Chicago, and Michigan State Conferences in 2004 and 2015. The ensemble has also performed at the 2008 National Collegiate Choral Organization Conference and the 2016 Michigan Music Conference. In 2002, Chorale became the first choir from the United States to receive the grand prize at the Robert Schumann International Choral Competition. In 2004, Chorale was featured on the opening concert of the Irving S. Gilmore International Piano Festival performing Stravinsky's Svadebka. In 2005, Chorale won the Silver Medal at the 28th International May Choir Competition, part of the prestigious European Grand Prix for Choral Singing series of competitions. In 2013, Chorale was awarded second prize in the collegiate choral division of The American Prize. In 2017, Chorale earned three Gold Diplomas (Collegiate, Contemporary, Spirituals) and became the first choir from the United States to win the Grand Prix in the Kaunas Cantat, an international choral competition held annually in Lithuania.

Chorale has also released numerous recordings, including a 2010 release with Seraphic Fire of Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers, Paul Lansky’s choral cantata, Contemplating Weather, for Bridge Records in 2015, and a 2016 album titled Ex corde, featuring unaccompanied choral works, including a world premiere recording of Ryan Keebaugh’s The Suffering Servant. All of their albums are available for purchase through Apple music, Amazon, CD Baby, and other international retail distributors.