Community
Building Circles of Community
No performing arts organization exists in isolation—our vital connection to you, our audience, is everything. Beyond the stage, our community extends through overlapping networks of shared passion and support that allow us to grow, find our voice, and enrich the world around us.
Here are just a few ways the City Choir works to foster a vibrant, interconnected community:
The City Singers
The City Choir of Washington’s engagement chorus
Led by City Choir Assistant Conductor Kathleen Jagielski, the City Singers believe in the power of music to connect communities. The City Choir’s volunteer engagement chorus brings upbeat and heartfelt programs of American standards, spirituals, jazz arrangements, holiday favorites, and Broadway tunes to homeless shelters, military retirement homes, independent living communities, government hospitals, and assisted living facilities throughout the greater Washington region.
At every performance, they share the inspiration of music and the joy of service. And to conclude their fall schedule, the City Singers annually offer a holiday present to the community, public performances in December at the historic Willard Hotel in downtown Washington.
Post-Concert Festivities
The magic doesn't end when the music stops! A lively post-concert reception—like our Mozart’s birthday celebration pictured here—offers a fantastic chance for listeners and singers to mingle and deepen our shared love of music.
Please join us for a post-concert reception—with a few surprises in store—right after our season opener at National Presbyterian Church!
Party with a Purpose
Our high-spirited annual benefit party bubbles with creativity, mixing good food and drink, good music and good people together with prizes and surprises, and a chance to widen our circle of friends.
Plan to join us for a memorable evening in support of the City Choir and all its activities. Don’t wait too long to get your tickets, though—they’re a bargain, and this event is expected to sell out!
NSO Sound Health Fridays
As part of the National Symphony Orchestra’s “Sound Health” initiative, the City Choir hosted Friday morning sessions at The REACH at the Kennedy Center. These events featured a preview discussion of that day’s NSO matinee performance, followed by a community sing-along with the chorus and audience.
In this video from April 2023, Artistic Director Erin Freeman leads the choir and audience in a heartwarming rendition of “Auld Lang Syne.”
Nats Park National Anthem
Take me out to the ballgame! The City Choir has been honored to salute the nation, and the national pastime, by singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” before baseball games at Nationals Park, home of the 2019 World Champion Washington Nationals.
Enjoy our September 2023 performance of the national anthem. Play ball!
Olá Brasil!
São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro
The Orquestra Acadêmica Mozarteum Brasileiro invited the City Choir to perform Beethoven’s Mass in C Major with them in São Paulo at one of the world’s great concert halls, the Sala São Paulo, under the baton of Maestra Erin Freeman. Our June 2025 performance to a packed house was a truly memorable experience for us (and apparently for the audience as well, which gave us the standing ovation shown here).
Our delightful time in Brazil also featured three performances of American music in Rio de Janeiro, including one on Corcovado Mountain at the foot of the Christ the Redeemer statue. We came home with fond memories of Brazil, its music, its spirit, and its people. Vai Brasil!
