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Rehearsal Schedule & other Member Information
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National
Men's Chorus was founded in June 1999 by its
artistic director, Thomas Beveridge. The Chorus has enjoyed critical acclaim
from the very beginning. Its first concert was hailed by The Washington Post
music critic, Joseph McLellan, as a "triumphant debut" in a
performance displaying "exemplary polish, expression, and control."
In the Chorus' fiirst year, it presented the infrequently heard
combination of Cherubini's Requiem and the Gounod Messe No. 2, a program it
was pleased to repeat in 2003. In the years since, the Chorus has performed many
other classics of the literature for male voices, as well as arrangements of
traditional melodies composed especially for the group. NMC has appeared in the concert series at Waterford, Va., and locally in a
variety of locations, including the George Washington National Masonic Memorial
in Alexandria. There, the chorus presented a collection of the "Masonic
Music" of W. A. Mozart together with Randall Thompson's Testament of
Freedom, with full orchestra. The Washington Post characterized the music as
"superbly styled" and reported that the Chorus "...sang with
smooth, well-blended tone, emotional conviction and a clarity of diction that
was a pure joy." The Chorus has been honored with prestigious concert invitations, including
the American Music Festival at the National Gallery of Art. At the dedication of
the George Mason Memorial near the Washington Mall in the spring of 2002,
National Men's Chorus performed the cantata, Life and Liberty, a Thomas
Beveridge setting of texts by George Mason commissioned for the occasion. NMC has appeared twice at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts
Center, most recently with the Alexandria Symphony. The chorus has
developed a wide-ranging repertoire of American patriotic music, some
traditional, some historic and seldom-heard. Much of that music is
available on the recently released CD "Life and
Liberty" featuring the Washington Symphonic Brass and organist Paul
Skevington.
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![]() In concert, May 8, 2005 Photo: Ray Knell
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The National Men's Chorus is grateful to its many donors and
supporters. Gifts may be sent to: National Men's Chorus Western Presbyterian Church 2401 Virginia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20037 Contributions made be made through Combined Federal Campaign NMC's CFC number is 58560 |
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