named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
Commissioning New Works
Program to commission and premiere new choral compositions, including works by contemporary composers such as Daron Hagen, Cyrus Chestnut, and The Brothers Balliett
Concert Series
Annual season of performances including two major concerts at Carnegie Hall and a third concert at another venue, featuring repertoire from five centuries
Engagement Program
Educational outreach initiative that brings students and social service clients to Carnegie Hall concerts, often their first exposure to classical music
Virtual Series: You Heard Them First and Staycations
Digital concert series launched during the pandemic featuring solo performances, composer interviews, and themed musical journeys
activities · 8 groups
What they do
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Commissioning New Musical Works 1 activity
- Commissions and premieres new choral worksCommissions and presents world premieres of contemporary choral music, including works by Trevor Weston, Tom Cipullo, Cyrus Chestnut, Raphael Fusco, and The Brothers Balliett, contributing to the modern choral repertoire.
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Community Choral Rehearsals & Performances 1 activity
- Conducts weekly choral rehearsals and auditionsHolds regular weekly rehearsals on Mondays at Rutgers Presbyterian Church in New York City and conducts auditions year-round in both live and virtual formats to maintain chorus membership.
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Organizational Governance & Leadership Development 1 activity
- Engages in board-level organizational developmentConducts grant writing and event planning activities at the board level to support the chorus’s operations and programming.
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Traditional & Cultural Performing Arts 1 activity
- Presents thematic and culturally diverse musical programsDevelops and performs concerts that explore specific themes or cultural perspectives, such as "The Saga of the Cross" (telling the Easter story from an African American viewpoint) and programs integrating music from opera, Broadway, Lieder, and rap.
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Digital Music and Performance Archiving 1 activity
- Produces digital concert contentCreated and presented digital concert series such as "You Heard Them First" and "Staycations" during the pandemic to maintain artistic engagement during performance hiatuses.
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Classical and Chamber Music Performances 1 activity
- Produces large-scale choral performancesStages major choral concerts, primarily at Carnegie Hall, featuring a mix of historical masterworks, neglected classical pieces, and 20th-century compositions with expanded instrumental forces such as multiple grand pianos and full percussion ensembles.
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Nonprofit Music Recording and Distribution 1 activity
- Records and releases choral musicProduces professional recordings of choral performances, including the release of Daron Hagen's "Everyone, Everywhere" on the Naxos label.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Distributes event tickets for group attendanceCoordinates ticket distribution for group attendance at events, with pickup available at Redeemer West Side, 150 West 83rd Street.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$435K
Contributions & grants$154K35%
Program service revenue$212K49%
Investment income$69K16%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$430K
Program expenses92%
Admin / overhead5%
Fundraising4%
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineOther
balance sheet
Total assets$1.69M
Cash$89K
Investments$1.60M
Liabilities$45K
Net assets$1.64M
Liquid reserves47.0 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -13.3%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
board members · 18
- Adriana Reis — Vice President
- Aubrey Rhodes — Director
- Bailey Hancharik — Director
- Beverly Brooks — Director
- Carly Bechdale — Director
- Carolyn Krupski — Director
- Charles Fournier — Director
- Ciara Ceccanti — Director
- Elizabeth Shepard — Director
- Ethan D'ver — Director
- Helen Barahal — President
- Julia Schnakenberg — Director
- Juliette Ducasse — Director
- Maria Miller — Director
- Roger Shields — Treasurer
- Ronald Ditchik — Director
- Sasha Turner — Director
- Zachary Shapiro — Secretary
relationships · 17
Who they work with
- Carnegie Hall Partner — Performance venue and presenting partner for concerts.
- Carnegie Hall Partner — Performance venue for the chorus's regular concert season.
- Carnegie Hall Partner — Performs milestone concerts at Carnegie Hall, adapting programming to venue requirements such as duration limits.
- Carnegie Hall Partner — Regular performance venue for The Cecilia Chorus of New York
- Cyrus Chestnut Partner — Collaborated with jazz pianist and composer Cyrus Chestnut on the creation and performance of a new choral work.
- Cyrus Chestnut Partner — Collaborates as arranger and performer of musical works presented by the chorus.
- Dame Ethel Smyth Partner — Performed and premiered works by Dame Ethel Smyth, including her oratorio _The Prison_.
- John Jay College Partner — Institution where a chorus member is a professor and invited students to attend a performance.
- Liza Minnelli Partner — Collaborated on a benefit recording for AIDS research and performed together at the United Nations in 1993
- Mark Shapiro Partner — Conductor who leads and prepares the chorus for performances
- Mark Shapiro Partner — Music director who leads rehearsals and performances with pedagogical depth and artistic vision.
- NYU Partner — Institution where a current member was a student and where a chorus member taught, indicating academic connection.
- Naxos Partner — Released a recording in partnership with the Naxos label.
- Redeemer West Side Partner — Collaborates with Redeemer West Side for ticket pickup and event coordination.
- Rutgers Presbyterian Church Partner — Hosts rehearsal space for the chorus at 236 West 73rd Street in New York City.
- The Brothers Balliett Partner — Collaborated on a commissioned musical work based on Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor's text.
- Tom Cipullo Partner — Commissioned composer who created *Credo for a Secular City* for the chorus
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Community-Engaged Choral Performancemethodology: community-engaged_artsBy cultivating a collaborative community of musicians, composers, and audiences, the organization creates choral experiences that are intellectually and emotionally transformative, because shared artistic engagement deepens connection and elevates impact beyond performance alone.
- Culturally Rooted Musical Synthesismethodology: intercultural_musical_synthesisBy combining gospel, jazz, classical, and global musical traditions, the organization creates a distinct choral voice that expresses diverse cultural narratives, because intercultural synthesis deepens emotional resonance and fosters shared human connection across communities.
- Equity-Integrated Organizational Practicemethodology: equity_auditingBy embedding diversity, inclusion, and equity into governance, programming, and leadership development—and publicly auditing progress—the organization strengthens both artistic integrity and community trust, because systemic equity is essential to authentic artistic representation and organizational well-being.
- Thematic and Narrative Program Designmethodology: thematic_programmingBy structuring concerts around thematic arcs—such as psychological transformation, spiritual contemplation, or vocal narrative—the organization enhances audience engagement and emotional impact, because coherent storytelling through music deepens meaning and retention.
- Tradition-and-Innovation Repertoire Modelmethodology: tradition-and-innovation_repertoireBy balancing performance of traditional choral masterworks with commissioning new works, the organization sustains artistic relevance and cultural continuity, because integrating historical depth with contemporary voice creates a living, evolving choral tradition.