The Harvard Summer Chorus, founded in 1936, will be led by Harvard’s Director of Choral Activities, Andrew Clark, in Summer 2026. The ensemble is open by audition to Harvard Summer School students, Harvard affiliates (ID holders), and members of the community, including local high school and college students.
Schedule
Rehearsals are Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7pm to 9:30pm, in Sanders Theatre, starting Thursday, June 25, 2026.
The culminating performance is scheduled for the evening of Friday, July 31, 2026 at 8pm in Sanders Theatre, Memorial Hall. There will be a dress rehearsal in Sanders Theatre on Thursday, July 30 from 7-10pm.
The culminating performance is scheduled for the evening of Friday, July 31, 2026 at 8pm in Sanders Theatre, Memorial Hall. There will be a dress rehearsal in Sanders Theatre on Thursday, July 30 from 7-10pm.
Repertoire
The Harvard Summer Chorus celebrates its 90th anniversary with Freedom’s Song: American Voices at 250, marking the 250th anniversary of the United States and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Conducted by Andrew Clark, Harvard’s Director of Choral Activities, the program brings together powerful American works that reflect the nation’s ideals, tensions, and enduring creative spirit.
The concert opens with William Schuman’s A Free Song, the work that earned Schuman the first Pulitzer Prize for Music—a bold affirmation of democratic ideals drawn from the poetry of Walt Whitman. Lukas Foss’s Psalms follows, a work of striking vitality and radiant stillness, moving fluidly between rhythmic energy and moments of quiet transcendence. Dan Locklair’s Since Dawn sets Maya Angelou’s poem On the Pulse of Morning, written for President Bill Clinton’s first inaugural in 1993, offering a message of renewal, resilience, and collective responsibility. Rosephanye Powell’s Quiet Revolutionary honors the legacy of the late Eileen Southern, Harvard professor and pioneering scholar whose work reshaped the study of African American and American music. The program also includes the first movement of Hallelujah Junction by John Adams ’69, whose propulsive, rhythmically charged music captures the restless energy and invention of contemporary American life.
Together, these works trace a musical arc across two and a half centuries of American imagination—celebrating voices that challenge, inspire, and continue to shape the nation’s unfinished promise.
The concert opens with William Schuman’s A Free Song, the work that earned Schuman the first Pulitzer Prize for Music—a bold affirmation of democratic ideals drawn from the poetry of Walt Whitman. Lukas Foss’s Psalms follows, a work of striking vitality and radiant stillness, moving fluidly between rhythmic energy and moments of quiet transcendence. Dan Locklair’s Since Dawn sets Maya Angelou’s poem On the Pulse of Morning, written for President Bill Clinton’s first inaugural in 1993, offering a message of renewal, resilience, and collective responsibility. Rosephanye Powell’s Quiet Revolutionary honors the legacy of the late Eileen Southern, Harvard professor and pioneering scholar whose work reshaped the study of African American and American music. The program also includes the first movement of Hallelujah Junction by John Adams ’69, whose propulsive, rhythmically charged music captures the restless energy and invention of contemporary American life.
Together, these works trace a musical arc across two and a half centuries of American imagination—celebrating voices that challenge, inspire, and continue to shape the nation’s unfinished promise.
dues
The dues for Summer 2026 are below and include scores All dues should be paid at the first rehearsal. More information on how to pay will be sent prior to June 25. In certain cases of financial hardship, you may petition for a discount by emailing [email protected].
- $0 for Harvard Summer School enrolled students
- $100 for Current Students
- $175 Community Members
auditions (required for participation)
Harvard Summer School students will audition live at Sanders Theatre in the evening of June 23 and the audition will consist of singing a simple melody and a few vocal exercises.
High School students, College students, and Community Members will be asked to submit a video recording singing a piece of their choice.
If you are a member of any of the following ensembles, you are exempt from auditioning for the 2026 Harvard Summer Chorus. Please complete the registration form linked below to secure your spot.
High School students, College students, and Community Members will be asked to submit a video recording singing a piece of their choice.
If you are a member of any of the following ensembles, you are exempt from auditioning for the 2026 Harvard Summer Chorus. Please complete the registration form linked below to secure your spot.
- Member of the 2025 Harvard Summer Chorus
- Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus
- Harvard Glee Club
- Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum
- Radcliffe Choral Society
- MMEA All State Choir 2025 or 2026
- Participant of Sr. District Chorus 2025 or 2026
- Handel and Haydn Society Youth Choirs or Alumni
- Harvard University Choir
Interest form (required for participation)
Please use the form below to express interest in the Harvard Summer Chorus. Filling out the form does not automatically guarantee acceptance into the Harvard Summer Chorus.
