Biography
The Dessoff Choirs, headquartered in New York, encompass several smaller ensembles, among them the Dessoff Symphonic Choir and the Dessoff Chamber Choir, which appear both on their own and in combined forces while sharing a collective emphasis on new and uncommon repertoire.
Their roots reach back to 1924, when choral conductor Margarete Dessoff launched the Adesdi Chorus and the A Cappella Singers in New York. She merged those ensembles in 1930 under the Dessoff Choirs designation and formed the smaller Dessoff Symphonic Choir and Dessoff Chamber Choir units according to the demands of particular programs. Her leadership introduced the New York premiere of Bach's Cantata No. 4, BWV 4 ("Christ lag in Todes Banden"), the U.S. premiere of Italian Renaissance composer Orazio Vecchi's L'amfiparnaso (1594), and the American premiere of Schoenberg's motet Friede auf Erden.
A central presence during the organization's formative decades was second conductor Paul Boepple, who remained on the podium for 32 years and stressed Renaissance music rarely encountered in mid-20th-century New York. Later music directors have included James Bagwell (2005-2010), who incorporated sacred harp songs and other American idioms, Christopher Shepard, and, beginning in the early 2020s, Malcolm J. Merriweather, whose programs have highlighted African American repertory.
The Dessoff Choirs joined the New York Wind Ensemble in 1951 for a concert marking the 2,000th anniversary of the city of Paris. Since that occasion they have collaborated in varied configurations with leading New York instrumental ensembles, among them the New York Philharmonic in Mahler's Symphony No. 8 ("Symphony of a Thousand") at one of Lorin Maazel's final concerts as music director. The choirs also maintain a regular season of a cappella performances.
Self-governing in structure, the members pay dues, sell tickets, serve on the board, and sustain the organization through monetary gifts and in-kind contributions. Since the late 2000s the Choirs have maintained the Singing Scholar Program in New York's public high schools.
Recordings multiplied especially during Bagwell's tenure, yielding 13 albums. The group reentered the recording studio in 2019 with an album under Merriweather devoted to Margaret Bonds' cantata The Ballad of the Brown King on the Avie label. A further Bonds release appeared in 2023, presenting the Credo and Simon Bore the Cross.
Their roots reach back to 1924, when choral conductor Margarete Dessoff launched the Adesdi Chorus and the A Cappella Singers in New York. She merged those ensembles in 1930 under the Dessoff Choirs designation and formed the smaller Dessoff Symphonic Choir and Dessoff Chamber Choir units according to the demands of particular programs. Her leadership introduced the New York premiere of Bach's Cantata No. 4, BWV 4 ("Christ lag in Todes Banden"), the U.S. premiere of Italian Renaissance composer Orazio Vecchi's L'amfiparnaso (1594), and the American premiere of Schoenberg's motet Friede auf Erden.
A central presence during the organization's formative decades was second conductor Paul Boepple, who remained on the podium for 32 years and stressed Renaissance music rarely encountered in mid-20th-century New York. Later music directors have included James Bagwell (2005-2010), who incorporated sacred harp songs and other American idioms, Christopher Shepard, and, beginning in the early 2020s, Malcolm J. Merriweather, whose programs have highlighted African American repertory.
The Dessoff Choirs joined the New York Wind Ensemble in 1951 for a concert marking the 2,000th anniversary of the city of Paris. Since that occasion they have collaborated in varied configurations with leading New York instrumental ensembles, among them the New York Philharmonic in Mahler's Symphony No. 8 ("Symphony of a Thousand") at one of Lorin Maazel's final concerts as music director. The choirs also maintain a regular season of a cappella performances.
Self-governing in structure, the members pay dues, sell tickets, serve on the board, and sustain the organization through monetary gifts and in-kind contributions. Since the late 2000s the Choirs have maintained the Singing Scholar Program in New York's public high schools.
Recordings multiplied especially during Bagwell's tenure, yielding 13 albums. The group reentered the recording studio in 2019 with an album under Merriweather devoted to Margaret Bonds' cantata The Ballad of the Brown King on the Avie label. A further Bonds release appeared in 2023, presenting the Credo and Simon Bore the Cross.
Albums
Margaret Bonds: Credo; Simon Bore the Cross
2023
Margaret Bonds: The Ballad of the Brown King & Selected Songs
2019
Glories on Glories
2009
Singles
