HARVARD Summer chorus Concert
Friday, August 1 | Sanders Theatre, Harvard University
7:00pm - 7:30pm: Pre-Concert with the Summer Chorus Chamber Ensemble
8:00pm - 10:00pm: Bearing Witness: Dvořák and Bonds
Conducted by Andrew Clark, the Harvard Summer Chorus presents the Boston première of Antonín Dvořák's original 1876 Stabat Mater in its rarely performed version for voices and piano—a stark, intimate meditation on grief composed after the death of the composer's infant daughter. Interwoven with movements from Simon Bore the Cross by Margaret Bonds, this program invites reflection on sorrow, endurance, and the burdens we carry for one another.
Set to a libretto by Langston Hughes, Bonds's cantata reimagines the Passion story through the eyes of Simon of Cyrene, the North African man compelled to carry Christ's cross. With a musical language rooted in spirituals, gospel, and classical idioms, Simon Bore the Cross reframes suffering and witness through the lens of Black experience and historical memory. Rather than forming a unified narrative, these two works are presented in juxtaposition—fragmented, unresolved, and resonant—each illuminating different dimensions of human pain and resilience.
Featuring soprano Zhanna Alkhazova, mezzo-soprano Sarah Heltzel, tenor Fred C. VanNess Jr., bass David Salsbery Fry, and pianist Justin Blackwell, Bearing Witness explores how music—drawn from distinct traditions—can deepen our capacity for empathy and affirm the enduring power of collective remembrance.
The concert is free and is open to the public. Tickets are not required.
7:00pm - 7:30pm: Pre-Concert with the Summer Chorus Chamber Ensemble
8:00pm - 10:00pm: Bearing Witness: Dvořák and Bonds
Conducted by Andrew Clark, the Harvard Summer Chorus presents the Boston première of Antonín Dvořák's original 1876 Stabat Mater in its rarely performed version for voices and piano—a stark, intimate meditation on grief composed after the death of the composer's infant daughter. Interwoven with movements from Simon Bore the Cross by Margaret Bonds, this program invites reflection on sorrow, endurance, and the burdens we carry for one another.
Set to a libretto by Langston Hughes, Bonds's cantata reimagines the Passion story through the eyes of Simon of Cyrene, the North African man compelled to carry Christ's cross. With a musical language rooted in spirituals, gospel, and classical idioms, Simon Bore the Cross reframes suffering and witness through the lens of Black experience and historical memory. Rather than forming a unified narrative, these two works are presented in juxtaposition—fragmented, unresolved, and resonant—each illuminating different dimensions of human pain and resilience.
Featuring soprano Zhanna Alkhazova, mezzo-soprano Sarah Heltzel, tenor Fred C. VanNess Jr., bass David Salsbery Fry, and pianist Justin Blackwell, Bearing Witness explores how music—drawn from distinct traditions—can deepen our capacity for empathy and affirm the enduring power of collective remembrance.
The concert is free and is open to the public. Tickets are not required.
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The Harvard Choruses aspires to empower singers, student leaders, and communities by sustaining and advancing choral music education and practice.
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Together we value continuous and ongoing growth for our singers and the choruses at large: as students, through leadership and creativity; as musicians, through dedication to art-making; and as citizens, through community engagement. We seek to embody these values through the student-run nature of our ensembles and our exploration and expansion of choral traditions.
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SING | PLAY | TOUR | SERVE | LEAD
Harvard Glee Club
The Harvard Glee Club is America's oldest collegiate glee club, today standing 50 voices strong. The group seeks to further the tradition of tenor-bass choral music, to improve ourselves and our community through the love and performance of music, and to foster our four cardinal virtues: glee, good humor, unity, and joy. |
Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum
Spanning five octaves and seven centuries of choral music, the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum is a mixed chorus of 50 voices. The group is dedicated to performing a wide variety of repertoire with a focus on both a cappella and choral orchestral music. |
Radcliffe Choral Society
The Radcliffe Choral Society, a 50-voice treble chorus, performs a distinctive repertoire spanning nine centuries. By fostering the appreciation of treble choral music, the ensemble strives to honor its history and celebrate the extraordinary community formed through its music-making. |
Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus
HRC is a mixed chorus made up of 120 undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, staff, and community members. The ensemble presents two major choral-orchestral performances per year exploring a wide range of repertoire. Members represent a variety of music backgrounds and experience levels. |
Cambridge Common Voices
Cambridge Common Voices is a community chorus established in partnership between Harvard College and the Threshold Program at Lesley University, a transition program for young adults with diverse learning challenges. This ensemble strives to create an inclusive musical space and practice, affirming individual voices, and explore innovative approaches to music-making |
Harvard Summer Chorus
The Harvard Summer Chorus is a unique blend of all ages, backgrounds, and histories. As a program sponsored by the Harvard Summer School, the Summer Chorus welcomes the high school students who take part in the program, as well as collegiate singers and adult community members from all over the world. |
'Cliffe Notes
The ‘Cliffe Notes is the contemporary a cappella subset of the Radcliffe Choral Society. Performing mostly contemporary music along with the occasional 90's throwback, ‘Cliffe Notes is featured during RCS performances. In addition, 'Cliffe Notes can be heard at private parties, caroling, parades, benefits, and other events. |
Glee Club Lite
Glee Club Lite is the a cappella subset of the Harvard Glee Club. The purpose of Lite is twofold: first, to provide its members with an opportunity to sing rock, pop, jazz, and folk music while still maintaining the ability to sing classic choral literature with a large chorus; second, to bring entertainment to audiences worldwide with its signature blend of music and comedy. |
The Chamber Singers
The Chambers Singers is the student-led subset of the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum. The small vocal ensemble strives to embody a unique artistic profile that invokes the musical ethos of both early and modern choral music, performing a variety of world music, new works by diverse and underrepresented composers, student and alumni compositions, as well as canonic works. |
