The program will feature works by J.S. Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, Benjamin Britten, Sydney Guillaume and Erik Esenvalds. Highlighting the Chorale's connection to Leipzig, Germany and the St. Thomas Church, the ensemble will offer settings of "Jauchzet dem Herrn" (Psalm 100) by both Bach and Mendelssohn. The work of the young Latvian composer, Erik Esenvalds will be the centerpiece of a group of works devoted to the Baltic region. The Chorale will also offer traditional hymns and spirituals and the rousing "Twa Tanbou" by American composer Sydney Guillaume.

The 45-voice ensemble upholds the highest standards of choral art through performance of the greatest choral literature of all eras and sustains its mission of excellence through annual tours, recording and performing. The Chorale has performed at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig on four separate occasions and is the only American collegiate choir to have such an intimate bond with the church of J.S. Bach.

The Thüringer Allgemeine reviewed the Chorale’s concert program in 2007: “a first-class ensemble…such a high degree of tonal unity, such sure intonation in the most complex and dissonant groups of chords, and such a precise feeling for dynamic shadings.” In 2010, the Schwartzwälder Bote exclaimed, “Heavenly and virtuosic performance enthused the audience,” and the Schwäbisches Tagblatt called the performance, “masterful.”

Dr. Christopher M. Cock, director of the Chorale, holds the Phyllis and Richard Duesenberg chair of Lutheran music at VU. Cock is a distinguished lyric tenor and often performs the role of Bach Evangelist. He has performed at national and international venues including Carnegie Hall, as well as with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He is the director of the Bach Institute at Valparaiso University.