Widely regarded as one of the finest professional choral ensembles in the United States, the Antioch Chamber Ensemble is celebrating its 26th season of exceptional music-making. Under the leadership of founding Artistic Director Joshua Copeland and Executive Director Stephen Sands, the ensemble strives to present a diverse program of the world’s greatest choral literature, both sacred and secular. The ensemble has performed works ranging from Renaissance polyphony to contemporary masterpieces with a core group of ten to twelve of the New York metropolitan area’s finest singers.

Antioch has been awarded first-place honors in the prestigious Tolosa International Choral Competition in Spain, cementing its status among the top professional choirs globally. In recent seasons, the national press has described Antioch as “stellar,” “flawless,” “an exceptional group,” and “a spectacular example of what a classical choir should sound like.” The New York Times, reflecting on the ensemble’s debut for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, praised their performance for its clarity of tone and pure intonation, noting the expressive impact of their interpretations.

Recent appearances included performances at Parlance Chamber Concerts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC), the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, the American Choral Directors Association Eastern National Conference, and the Festival des Choeurs Lauréats in France.

Antioch has earned a glowing reputation for its pitch-perfect and expressive interpretation of modern music. The ensemble gave the European premiere of Eric Whitacre’s “The City and the Sea” and the world premiere of Bruce Adolphe’s “Of Art and Onions: Homage to Bronzino” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, commissioned by the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. The group's second recording, The Passing of the Year, featuring the titular cycle by contemporary composer Jonathan Dove, was released by MSR Classics to critical acclaim. Fanfare praised the group’s “flawless blend, excellent intonation, and enthusiastic but sensitive phrasing.” Notably, composers such as Paul Mealor, Ivo Antognini, Matthew Brown, and R. Douglas Helvering have composed works specifically for Antioch.

Dedicated to the support and education of promising young composers and singers, Antioch has held residencies at prestigious institutions including Princeton University, Harvard University, Washington and Lee University, and Vassar College. The ensemble is the recipient of a grant from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music and has produced the first recording of choral works by Matthew Brown, though love be a day. In 2021, Antioch released a critically acclaimed recording of Robert Kyr’s works, In Praise of Music, engineered by the Grammy Award-winning SoundMirror company.

For more information, visit (http://antiochchamberensemble.org).

UPDATED JUNE 2024. PLEASE DESTROY ALL PREVIOUS VERSIONS.