Named "among America's very best choirs" by American Record Guide, Seattle Pro Musica embarks on its 39th season in 2011-2012 with a series of magical performances.
This distinguished ensemble consists of 70 talented singers with diverse backgrounds and a shared passion for beautiful and precise expressions of classical music. Seattle Pro Musica also has two smaller ensembles, Madrigalia (our mixed chamber ensemble) and Women's Schola. They perform under the direction of award-winning conductor and artistic director, Karen P. Thomas.
Known for adventurous programming and compelling performances, Seattle Pro Musica performs a repertoire ranging from Medieval chant to choral and orchestral masterpieces to contemporary works, including American works with an emphasis on Northwest composers. Past seasons have featured numerous world and Seattle premieres.
Throughout their concert season, Seattle Pro Musica also brings choral music to audiences who might not otherwise have access to it, through both outreach appearances and a music education program designed to introduce students to the beauty and technical challenge of the choral art.
Seattle Pro Musica's outstanding contributions to music and the community are widely acknowledged. The ensemble has received the distinguished Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence and the ASCAP-Chorus America Award for Adventuresome Programming. In the coming season, Seattle Pro Musica's Women's Schola will be a featured ensemble for the American Choral Directors Association Northwest Division Conference. The group has appeared on National Public Radio's Saint Paul Sunday, and by invitation at prestigious choral events nationally and internationally. The choir has received international praise in reviews of both CD recordings and live performances.
Seattle Pro Musica was one of thirteen choirs nationwide selected for the National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpieces Choral Initiative. Under the auspices of the NEA, Seattle Pro Musica hosted and produced the American Masterpieces Choral Festival in June 2007 and toured Washington and Oregon during the 2006-2007 season. A CD of this spectacular year, whose production was funded through the National Endowment for the Arts, was released to critical acclaim in April 2008.
Seattle Pro Musica is a resident ensemble at St. James Cathedral.
