Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus

The Harvard Radcliffe Chorus (HRC) is the largest mixed choir at Harvard University and has a diverse membership consisting of faculty members, staff, community members, and both undergraduate and graduate students. HRC was founded in 1979 and continues to perform twice a year as of 2005. HRC usually performs its master concerts at Sanders Theatre at Harvard University, one of the many venues in the Boston area with high-quality acoustics. When a large pipe organ is required for a masterwork, such as Berlioz's "Te Deum", the chorus performs in a large church in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

History

The Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus (HRC) was founded in 1979 by Beverly Taylor as the Harvard-Radcliffe Chorale with about forty undergraduates and a few staff members who wanted to sing. It was conceived with Dr. Jameson Marvin, Director of Choral Activities at Harvard University, as a training choir for students who needed more choral experience in order to perform with the other Holden Choirs: the Harvard Glee Club, the Radcliffe Choral Society, and the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, and as an organization that reached out to communities in the greater Boston-Cambridge area.

In 1980, the Chorale was renamed the Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus. Under the leadership of Beverly Taylor until 1995, HRC membership increased dramatically, and the Chorus continued to prosper under the direction of Jeffrey Bernstein during the 1995–96 season.

From 1996 to 2004, Dr. Constance DeFotis brought even greater artistic achievement to HRC and made it a choral home to a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, and members of the Greater Boston community. Dr. DeFotis also oversaw the founding of the Executive Committee, the self-governing group of student and community officers that addresses the chorus’s non-artistic concerns and administrative matters. While she was on leave during the 2002–2003 academic year, Simon Carrington, who is well known as a founding member of The King's Singers led the Chorus with inimitable skill and charisma. Dr. DeFotis now serves as the resident Director of Choral Activities at DePaul University, and Simon Carrington is Professor of Choral Conducting at Yale University.

The current artistic director, Dr. Kevin Leong, is the Associate Conductor of the Harvard-Radcliffe Choruses. He holds a Ph.D. in biophysics from Harvard and a doctoral degree in choral conducting from Boston University.

Repertoire

The repertoire of the Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus encompasses music from the 16th century to the present and is designed to introduce students to all the major style periods during their undergraduate studies at Harvard. The following table lists all of the works performed by HRC since its founding.

CONCERT	PROGRAM
December 2005	“Beethoven IX” BEETHOVEN: ‘Fidelio’ Overture, Op. 72 MENDELSSOHN: Verleih’ uns Frieden HAYDN: Te Deum in C, Hob. XXIIIc:2 BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
April 2005	“Echoes of Rouen” BRAHMS: Nänie, Op. 82 DURUFLÉ: Requiem, Op. 9
December 2004	“Mozart in Salzburg” MOZART: Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525 MOZART: Missa brevis in F, K. 192 (186f) MOZART: Vesperae solennes de Confessore , K. 339
May 2004	SCHOENBERG: Friede auf Erden, Op. 13 BRAHMS: Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45
December 2003	BRITTEN: Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28 WALTON: "Lento" and "Alla Cubana" from Five Bagatelles for Guitar (1971) Conrad SUSA: Carols and Lullabies (1992) Lou HARRISON: Avalokiteshvara (1964), Round (1998), Jahla (1972)
May 2003	MOZART: Kr�nungsmesse (Coronation Mass), K. 317 BRAHMS: Schicksalslied, Op. 54 Emma Lou DIEMER: Three Madrigals
December 2002	WALTON: Belshazzar’s Feast FINZI: In Terra Pax, Op. 39
May 2002	Russell PECK: Lift Off ORFF: Carmina Burana
December 2001	BERLIOZ: Te Deum, Op. 22
May 2001	HAYDN: Missa in Angustiis (Lord Nelson Mass), Hob. XXII:11 MOZART: Venite populi, K. 260 (248a) MOZART: Miserere in A minor, K. 85 (73s) MOZART: Serenata notturna, K. 239
December 2000	BACH: "Unser Mund sei voll Lachens", BWV 110 BACH: Orchestral Suite No. 4, BWV 1069 BACH: Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben", BWV 147a
May 2000	BRITTEN: "Choral Dances" from Gloriana, Op. 53 ELGAR: From the Bavarian Highlands, Op. 27 HOWELLS: In Youth Is Pleasure (1915) PEARSALL: Lay a Garland VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: "In Windsor Forest" (from Sir John in Love)
December 1999	FAURÉ: Cantique de Jean Racine, Op. 11 RAVEL: Introduction and Allegro (1905) FAURÉ: Requiem, Op. 48 (1893 version)
May 1999	MOZART: Regina coeli, K. 108 HAYDN: Missa in Tempore Belli, Hob. XXII:9
December 1998	MOZART: Misericordias Domini, K. 222 HAYDN: Salve Regina in G minor, Hob. XXIIIb: 2 BEETHOVEN: Elegischer Gesang, Op. 118 MENDELSSOHN: Verleih uns Frieden, Op. posth. SCHUBERT: Lacrimoso son io, D. 131 MOZART: Lacrimoso son io, K. 555
May 1998	HANDEL: Israel in Egypt
December 1997	BRUCKNER: "Kyrie" and "Agnus Dei" (from Mass in E minor) STRAVINSKY: Mass Richard STRAUSS: Serenade, Op. 7
April 1997	BRAHMS: Selections from Liebeslieder Walzer, Op. 52 BRAHMS: Selections from Neue Liebeslieder Walzer, Op. 65 BRAHMS: Ungarische T�nze, Nos. 1, 6, and 14 POULENC: Sept Chansons (1936) POULENC: Sonata for Four-hand Piano
December 1996	ROSSINI: Stabat Mater
April 1996	MOZART: Mass in C minor, K. 427 BEETHOVEN: Choral Fantasy, Op. 80
December 1995	MENDELSSOHN: Elijah, Op. 70
April 1995	MOZART: Requiem, K. 626 MOZART: Krönungsmesse (Coronation Mass), K. 317
December 1994	BACH: Jesu, meine Freude, BWV 227 BACH: Wachet! betet! betet! wachet!, BWV 70 SCHUBERT: Magnificat
April 1994	POULENC: Gloria RAVEL: Nicolette and Trois beaux oiseaux du Paradis (from Trois Chansons) BORODIN: Polovetsian Dances
December 1993	BRITTEN: Saint Nicholas, Op. 42 BERNSTEIN: Chichester Psalms
April 1993	HAYDN: The Creation
December 1992	HANDEL: Messiah
April 1992	ROSSINI: Messa di Gloria, Op. posth. DVORAK: Te Deum, Op.103 (Guest Conductor: Johanna Hill Simpson)
December 1991	RESPIGHI: Lauda per la Nativita del Signore HAYDN: Harmoniemesse
April 1991	MENDELSSOHN: Elijah, Op. 70
December 1990	MOZART: Overture to Idomeneo, K. 366 MOZART: Mass in C minor, K. 427 (417a)
April 1990	Lyle DAVIDSON: Voices of the Dark BRAHMS: Nänie, Op. 82 HAYDN: Missa in Angustiis (Lord Nelson Mass),Hob. XXII:11 (Guest Conductor: Scott Tucker)
December 1989	YANNATOS: Lux aeterna FAURÉ: Requiem, Op. 48 DEBUSSY: Trois chansons de Charles d’Orléans BRUCKNER: Te Deum
April 1989	HANDEL: Israel in Egypt
December 1988	MOZART: Symphony No. 28 in C, K. 200 MOZART: Requiem, K.626
April 1988	SCHUBERT: Mass in A-flat
December 1987	BUXTEHUDE: Der Herr ist mit mir DISTLER: Totentanz BACH: Darzu ist erschienen der Sohn Gottes, BWV 40 BEETHOVEN: Choral Fantasy
April 1987	ORFF: Carmina Burana
December 1986	HAYDN: Te Deum HAYDN: Missa in Tempore Belli Spanish and Italian madrigals
April 1986	MOZART: Three movements from Vesperae solennes de Confessore, K. 339 STRAVINSKY: Mass GINASTERA: Lamentations of Jeremiah BRAHMS: Liebeslieder Walzer, Op. 52
December 1985	MOZART: Regina coeli, K. 276 German madrigals SCHÜTZ: Jauchzet dem Herrn MENDELSSOHN: Heilig HAYDN: Theresienmesse
April 1985	BLOW: Selections from Ode to St. Cecilia of 1684 English madrigals HANDEL: The King shall rejoice (Coronation Anthem No. 2) BACH: "Es wartet alles auf dich", BWV 187
December 1984	FAURÉ: Pavane, Op. 50 BEETHOVEN: Mass in C French and English madrigals
April 1984	BRAHMS: Nänie, Op. 82 COPLAND: American folksongs BRITTEN: Selections from Five Flower Songs COPLAND: The Lark BERNSTEIN: Chichester Psalms
December 1983	BACH: "Erschallet, ihr Lieder", BWV 172 MOZART: Ave verum corpus BACH: Lobet den Herrn WEBER: Mass in G major
April 1983	MOZART: Te Deum in C, K. 141 HANDEL: Laudate pueri Dominum BRAHMS: Neue Liebeslieder Walzer, Op. 65
December 1982	BACH: Alles nur nach Gottes Willen, BWV 72 HAYDN: Missa in Angustiis (Lord Nelson Mass), Hob. XXII:11
April 1982	VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Five Mystical Songs FAURÉ: Requiem, Op. 48
December 1981	BACH: Darzu ist erschienen der Sohn Gottes, BWV 40 MOZART: Vesperae solennes de Confessore, K. 339
April 1981	HANDEL: Then round about thy starry throne PURCELL: Sing unto the Lord WEELKES: Hark all ye lovely saints above HANDEL: Music spread thy voice around BRITTEN: Selections from Choral Dances from Gloriana BENNET: All creatures now are merry-minded VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: In Windsor forest HANDEL: Let their celestial concerts all unite
December 1980	HAYDN: Te Deum MENDELSSOHN: Heilig MOZART: Missa brevis in F BACH: Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich, BWV 150