Commonwealth Chorale is an auditioned chorus that attracts singers from the metropolitan Boston area. Led by Artistic Director Dr. Michael Driscoll, Commonwealth Chorale is committed to performing the finest classical music from all periods and from a diverse cross-section of composers. We rehearse Tuesday evenings from 7:15 – 9:45 at the First Baptist Church, 848 Beacon Street in Newton Center, just a few minutes’ walk from the Newton Center stop on the MBTA’s Green Line “D” branch.

Past performances have included Amy Beach’s Grand Mass in E-flat Major, Handel’s Israel in Egypt, Haydn’s The Creation, Vaughan Williams’s Sea Symphony, Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil, Bloch’s Sacred Service, selections from Florence Price’s Communion Service in F, Carol Barnett’s Bluegrass Mass, and Requiem settings by Rutter, Mozart, Brahms, Verdi, Fauré, and Duruflé. The Chorale has regularly collaborated with choruses and orchestras in the Greater Boston region. You can see videos of recent performances on our YouTube Channel, accessible from our website.

Commonwealth Chorale annually presents a ‘Commonwealth Composer’ concert highlighting the music of a composer with ties to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Past Commonwealth Composer concerts have included works by Carson Cooman, Randall Thompson, Amy Beach, Daniel Pinkham, and Kevin Siegfried. The Commonwealth Chorale has also commissioned and premiered many works, including Carson Cooman’s As We are Changed, Patricia Van Ness’s Nocturnes, and Alan Fletcher’s That Hour of Gentleness.