Mendelssohn Chorus

Come witness history today with Mendelssohn Chorus! Joyful Abundance features five new commissions by emerging composer & poet pairs as part of Philly's festival: 4pm at Rodeph Shalom. Use promo code ARTPHILLY for $10 off your ticket price: www.mcchorus.org/joyful

TOMORROW!

Please join us on Saturday, June 6 at for an exciting and insightful concert, premiering five new works from Philadelphia composers and poets! Tickets available here: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=295928

USE CODE: ARTPHILLY FOR $10 OFF YOU BASE TICKET PRICE!
(please note: promos do not apply to Student Tickets, ACCESS tickets, or previous orders)

As part of : What Now: 2026—a city-wide festival celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of our country—this concert asks vital questions about America's past, present, and future through the voices of a new generation of artists.

—

Joyful Abundance launches what will become a permanent bi-annual program, funded in part by the Alan Harler New Ventures Fund, supporting Philadelphia's emerging composers and poets, creating a lasting legacy that extends far beyond this season. Consider supporting this fund which provides a pathway for MCP to continue undertaking provocative choral programming, including major commissioned works and innovative collaborations.

"...The relentless pursuit of growth and progress and the value we place on hyper-individualism have severed our relational ways of being, with each other and the more-than-human world. How can we repair and restore our ruptured connection with the living body of the Earth, of which we are a part?" - Naila Francis

THIS WEEKEND on Saturday, June 6th at Rodeph Shalom, five brand-new choral pieces will make their world premiere in MCP's season finale: Joyful Abundance.

—

In preparation for this concert, we asked our Joyful Abundance Artists a series of questions about their inspirations and experiences that culminated in a brand new composition for ArtPhilly: What Now: 2026.

Check out more of what they had to say, and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.mcchorus.org/joyful.

***USE CODE: ARTPHILLY for $10 off your base ticket price!!***

—

As part of ArtPhilly: What Now: 2026—a city-wide festival celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of our country—this concert asks vital questions about America's past, present, and future through the voices of a new generation of artists.

—

Joyful Abundance launches what will become a permanent bi-annual program, funded in part by the Alan Harler New Ventures Fund, supporting Philadelphia's emerging composers and poets, creating a lasting legacy that extends far beyond this season. Consider supporting this fund which provides a pathway for MCP to continue undertaking provocative choral programming, including major commissioned works and innovative collaborations.

"Through the music, I really wanted to explore an emotional landscape when we as a collective society, and not just as individuals, make space for desire and belonging for all people in America." - Baldwin Giang

Next weekend, on Saturday, June 6th, "we are made foreign" will make it's world premiere along with four brand new works, paired with Randall Thompson's beloved Testament of Freedom.

—

In preparation for this concert, we asked our Joyful Abundance Artists a series of questions about their inspirations and experiences that culminated in a brand new composition for ArtPhilly: What Now: 2026.

Check out more of what they had to say, and to purchase tickets, visit the link in our Bio.

—

As part of ArtPhilly: What Now: 2026—a city-wide festival celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of our country—this concert asks vital questions about America's past, present, and future through the voices of a new generation of artists.

—

Joyful Abundance launches what will become a permanent bi-annual program, funded in part by the Alan Harler New Ventures Fund, supporting Philadelphia's emerging composers and poets, creating a lasting legacy that extends far beyond this season. Consider supporting this fund which provides a pathway for MCP to continue undertaking provocative choral programming, including major commissioned works and innovative collaborations.

"Swathed in earth’s memory,
we see now as co-conspirators
through time’s lens
truths long held,
liberties long withheld."
-Octavia McBride-Ahebee

Octavia's interrogating and reflective text comes to life in "Electric Bloom" with music by Ted Babcock - experience the premiere of this work (with a special accompaniment by the composer!) on June 6th at Rodeph Shalom. Four brand new works join the program, paired with Randall Thompson's beloved Testament of Freedom.

—

In preparation for this concert, we asked our Joyful Abundance Artists a series of questions about their inspirations and experiences that culminated in a brand new composition for ArtPhilly: What Now: 2026.

Check out more of what they had to say, and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.mcchorus.org/joyful

—

As part of ArtPhilly: What Now: 2026—a city-wide festival celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of our country—this concert asks vital questions about America's past, present, and future through the voices of a new generation of artists.

—

Joyful Abundance launches what will become a permanent bi-annual program, funded in part by the Alan Harler New Ventures Fund, supporting Philadelphia's emerging composers and poets, creating a lasting legacy that extends far beyond this season. Consider supporting this fund which provides a pathway for MCP to continue undertaking provocative choral programming, including major commissioned works and innovative collaborations.

"Walk over the graves
Pick a flower, leave a note,
Ask a loved one, ask yourself.

What makes a body?
What makes a grave?
What makes us history?"
-Haley Storm

On this Memorial Day, we are highlighting our next pair of Joyful Abundance Artists, who created a piece honoring the lives of those we've lost, and the way we grieve in the present. Join us on June 6th at Rodeph Shalom to see the world premiere of this moving composition, along with 4 other brand new works paired with Randall Thompson's beloved Testament of Freedom.

—

In preparation for this concert, we asked our Joyful Abundance Artists a series of questions about their inspirations and experiences that culminated in a brand new composition for ArtPhilly: What Now: 2026.

Check out more of what they had to say, and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.mcchorus.org/joyful

—

As part of ArtPhilly: What Now: 2026—a city-wide festival celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of our country—this concert asks vital questions about America's past, present, and future through the voices of a new generation of artists.

—

Joyful Abundance launches what will become a permanent bi-annual program, funded in part by the Alan Harler New Ventures Fund, supporting Philadelphia's emerging composers and poets, creating a lasting legacy that extends far beyond this season. Consider supporting this fund which provides a pathway for MCP to continue undertaking provocative choral programming, including major commissioned works and innovative collaborations.

“It feels apt to sing this piece in Philadelphia where we can face our imperfect history…” Amy Beth Sisson

In just two weeks, we will present our final concert of the season: Joyful Abundance! This program features five brand-new compositions by Philadelphia artists, paired with Randall Thompson’s beloved Testament of Freedom, creating a powerful dialogue between past and future.

In preparation for this concert, we asked our Joyful Abundance Artists a series of questions about their inspirations and experiences that culminated in a brand new composition for ArtPhilly: What Now: 2026.

Check out more of what they had to say at https://www.mcchorus.org/joyful

---

Please join us on Saturday, June 6 at Rodeph Shalom for an exciting and insightful concert, premiering five new works from Philadelphia composers and poets! Tickets available at https://www.mcchorus.org/joyful

As part of ArtPhilly: What Now: 2026—a city-wide festival celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of our country—this concert asks vital questions about America's past, present, and future through the voices of a new generation of artists.

—

Joyful Abundance launches what will become a permanent bi-annual program, funded in part by the Alan Harler New Ventures Fund, supporting Philadelphia's emerging composers and poets, creating a lasting legacy that extends far beyond this season. Consider supporting this fund which provides a pathway for MCP to continue undertaking provocative choral programming, including major commissioned works and innovative collaborations.

Applications are now open for MCP's Conducting Apprenticeship Program for the 2026–2027 season — and we'd love to hear from you!

Alongside hands-on conducting experience, our apprentices get a behind-the-scenes look at what it truly takes to lead a nonprofit chorus — from concert production to fundraising, board governance, and the day-to-day realities of organizational life.

We believe great conductors are shaped by more than what happens in a rehearsal room, and this program is built around that belief.

✨ Applications close June 15, 2026. https://www.mcchorus.org/join-us

✨Today we are thrilled to welcome Sarah Bowe as our new Assistant Conductor & Chorus Manager! 🎉

A Philadelphia-based choral specialist with a distinguished career in performance, pedagogy, and administration, Sarah has held faculty positions at Cornell University, Queens College (CUNY), and Central Connecticut State University, and has performed with ensembles including the Tanglewood Festival Chorus of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Some of you may recognize Sarah from another close connection — she manages operations for Melissa Dunphy's Mormolyke Press, whose landmark work "On the Horizon" we were proud to commission and premiere last season. We love when our artistic community grows even closer! 🥰

Please join us in giving Sarah a warm welcome! 🎶

In just a couple weeks we will be joining our friends at the PYO Music Institute for an unforgetable evening in celebration of America's 250th. For more information and tickets, please visit: https://www.ensembleartsphilly.org/rent-our-spaces/special-events-and-performances/philadelphia-youth-orchestra-85th-annual-festival