University Chorale

Kimberly Dunn Adams, Conductor 

Conducted by Kimberly Dunn Adams, the University Chorale is the premier choral ensemble at Western Michigan University. Open to all students throughout the University, Chorale (MUS1120) 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 Keyboard 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.

Purchase our music

Ex Corde: From the Heart

Purchase from Amazon  Purchase from apple music   Purchase from CDBaby

Listen to University Chorale

  • Video of WMU Chorale - Shenandoah
    Shenandoah by James Erb
  • Video of Pearsall, Lay a Garland - WMU Chorale
    Pearsall by Lay a Garland
  • Video of The Blue Bird, Op. 119, No. 3
    The Bluebird by Stanford
  • Video of The Suffering Servant
    The Suffering Servant by Keebaugh
  • Video of Contemplating Weather: IX. Snow Arithmetic
    “Snow Arithmetic” from Contemplating Weather by Paul Lansky
  • Video of Contemplating Weather: III. Climate Change Riffs
    “Climate Change Riffs” from Contemplating Weather by Paul Lansky

Contact

Kimberly Dunn Adams
(269) 387-4715

Visit the Choral Studies website