The 28-voice chorus has developed that reputation through live performances across the U.S. and in Canada, along with a series of recordings treasured by music lovers and played by radio stations around the globe including BBC Radio 3, Classic FM, Radio New Zealand, and more.Originally called the Bach & Madrigal Society of Phoenix, the Phoenix Chorale was founded in 1958 in the living room of Drs. Hal & Timona Pittman and at that time focused on the music of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Most recently, the Phoenix Chorale was known as the Phoenix Bach Choir, a name the group performed under for nearly twenty years.

What began in 1958 as a small study group of singers became a fully professional choir in 1992 made up of Arizona residents: highly educated and trained singers, teachers and professionals. In 2004, the Phoenix Chorale became the first North American choir to record for the U.K.’s prestigious Chandos Records and since then, the Chorale’s recordings have earned a total of eight GRAMMY nominations and two GRAMMY wins.

The newest addition to their discography was released in 2012, titled Northern Lights, and features music composed by Ola Gjeilo, the Chorale’s 2009-10 composer-in-residence. Northern Lights was the top selling title for Chandos in the US for 2012, climbed industry charts reaching #5 on the UK’s Gramophone Charts and #4 on the Billboard Charts and was also named “Best Classical Vocal Album of the Year” on iTunes Best of 2012.

The Phoenix Chorale aims to be the preeminent model for American choral music by redefining standards of excellence and its mission is to enrich life through excellence and distinction in choral artistry. In its 56-year history, the Phoenix Chorale’s conductors have included Millicent Wesley (the Chorale’s first conductor in 1958), Wallace Hornibrook, Dan Durand, Vance George, Anders Öhrwall, Jon Washburn, and Charles Bruffy since 1999.

The Phoenix Chorale, ensemble-in-residence at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Phoenix, is sponsored in part through grants and funding from Music at Trinity, Sundome Performing Arts Association, Arizona Commission on the Arts, City of Phoenix Office of Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Quail Distributing. More information is available at www.phoenixchorale.org.