Sharing the Joy of Music
Presenting the beauty and inspiration of choral music.
Founded in 1966, The Oratorio Society is central Virginia’s longest-running community chorus. From our first performance of Handel’s Messiah in 1968, we have evolved to present major works with professional orchestras, traditional holiday performances, community engagement concerts, and innovative collaborations.
Music that transcends time and space.
The Oratorio Society of Virginia presents a variety of music each year, including classics from the greatest composers, such as Bach’s Mass in B minor, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony, and Handel’s Coronation Anthems, as well as modern choral compositions and opera. Recent collaborative partners have included the UVA University Singers, Charlottesville Opera (previously Ash Lawn Opera), Wintergreen Music Festival, Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, Charlottesville Ballet, Charlottesville Symphony, Zion Union Baptist Church Choir, Staunton Music Festival, and a number of regional youth and school choral ensembles. As part of our 50th anniversary celebration in 2018, we also had the honor of commissioning composer Adolphus Hailstork to set the poetry of former U.S Poet Laureate and UVA professor Rita Dove, resulting in the world premiere of The World Called.
In addition, concerts across the past decade have included Bernstein’s Candide, Honegger’s King David, the Brahms, Duruflé and Rutter Requiems, African-American spirituals, Mozart’s Mass in C minor, Verdi’s La Traviata, Bach’s Magnificat, and a joint performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Members of The Oratorio Society have also had the opportunity to sing with many other distinguished ensembles, including Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus, Boston Masterworks Chorale, Cathedral Choral Society, Duke University Chapel Choir, Fairfax Choral Society, Virginia Consort, The Washington Chorus, and the Yale Glee Club, among others.
Our commitment to excellence allows our volunteer organization to present in some of the area's finest venues, including the historic Paramount Theater on the Downtown Mall, Old Cabell Hall at the University of Virginia, First Presbyterian Church, St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Performing Arts Center.
But no matter where or what we’re performing, we take the stage with the same mission: To unite our voices in an effort to express the best of the human spirit and spark a transformation among all who are in attendance. Through performing the songs and stories that have filled the histories of choruses, we seek to embody a work of art that connects our community through the emotions we all share.
We believe music has the power to inspire, and we want to share it with you.
Our Repertoire
Our performed repertoire is our proudest achievement in our 54 years of singing. Learn more about this rich and extensive history below by scrolling right and left, using the arrows (< >) on the sides of the sections below.
What our audience members say:
“After the concert I was so elevated, so inspired to just live and work, that such artistic vision is available to us. It was for me one of those higher moments never to be forgotten.”
Share the joy of music.
Help us continue sharing the transformative power of music by supporting our nonprofit organization. Your donation directly supports our mission of enriching lives and engaging the community through the arts.