I was lucky enough to be invited to Choralis’ 2026 Gala where, since 2010, members of the Washington area’s choruses gather to celebrate the choral art culminating with the awarding of the “Greater Washington DC Area Choral Excellence “Ovation” Prize—the Oscars of the DC choral scene, if you will. The inaugural event recognized J.Reilly Lewis, founder and artistic director of the Washington Bach Consort and Music Director of the Cathedral Choral Society. After Reilly’s untimely death, the main award was re-named in his memory as the J. Reilly Lewis Award for Contributions to Choral Music. This year, the award went to Choralis Founder and Artistic Director Gretchen Kuhrmann, who has been at the helm since 2000 and is retiring at the end of this season. Over the years, Gretchen has been an inspiration to her musicians, and a galvanizing force in the Washington area artistic community with her collegial approach to music-making.
I asked her what she would miss most about leaving Choralis.
“The singers, the players, this town. I mean, it’s so much. I grew up as a child who moved around the world because of my father’s profession and every time we returned to get reassigned it was to this area. They owned a home in Falls Church, so I’ve always considered the Washington Metro area a kind of homebase, and it wasn’t until the ‘90s when I actually returned to live here for a while, and I’ve been here for over 30 years. So, I’ve built relationships as the founder and director of a major symphonic chorus. I’ve built relationships with my singers: I have 7, I believe, who started with me 26 seasons ago who have stayed and then we have others who came early, left--many of my young 20- somethings that joined us early on when we founded, went away, had families, got jobs-- all those things, and they’ve returned to sing this concert so it feels very much like all in the family. I will miss my singers.”
This Sunday, Gretchen Kuhrmann will conduct her valedictory concert with Choralis, a challenging program for singers, orchestra and director alike, but, as she says... “it’s a nightmare to conduct, but fun!”
In this program, the Finale to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony is paired with William
Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast, the biblical story from Daniel 5 about the Babylonian king who held a bacchanale, drinking from precious vessels stolen from the Temple in Jerusalem, and praising idols. A mysterious hand appears and writes a warning of impending doom on the wall. That very night, Belshazzar was assassinated and his kingdom vanquished. Walton first conceived of a small concert for a radio show, but the piece grew to monumental dimensions with Sir Thomas Beecham famously suggesting “well, my boy, as you will probably never hear this work again, you might as well chuck in a couple of brass bands.” AI tells us, “The work features intense, rhythmic, and dissonant passages alongside opulent, cinematic choral writing that brought a new level of energy to the English oratorio.”
As you’ll hear in the linked interview, one of the most vivid passages is the banquet scene, where Walton gives us an extraordinary example of word painting as the orchestra illustrates each of the Babylonians’ pagan gods...the gods of gold, silver, iron, wood and brass.
The final Bow—Triumph is a great way to celebrate Maestra Kuhrmann’s storied career with the appropriate drama and flair—a terrific sendoff!
Gretchen Kuhrmann conducts
Beethoven’s Symphony No.9: “Finale” and William Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast.
Featuring:
Danielle Talamantes, soprano
Caroline Nielson, mezzo-soprano
Douglas Culclasure, tenor
Kerry Wilkerson, bass
Sunday, May 17 at 5 pm
National Presbyterian Church
4101 Nebraska Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20016
Tickets at Choralis.org
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