About NWC
New World Chorale at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade, Boston, MA
July 2006
The New World Chorale is one of the most in-demand choruses in the greater Boston area. The Chorale has performed major choral works with the Longwood Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Landmarks Orchestra, the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra (formerly GBYSO). In May 2006, the New World Chorale was featured with the Boston Ballet in its production of Igor Stravinsky’s Les Noces at the Wang Theatre in Boston. In summer 2006, the New World Chorale performed in concerts at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade with both the Boston Landmarks Orchestra and the Longwood Symphony Orchestra, and the Chorale again performed with the Boston Landmarks Orchestra at the Hatch Shell in July 2007. In December 2007, the Chorale performed Janacek’s Glagolitic Mass with the Longwood Symphony Orchestra. Showcasing its versatility, the Chorale has performed South Pacific in Concert and, most recently, The Pirates of Penzance with the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra, providing the leads and moving choruses from its own membership.
The New World Chorale was founded in 1999 by Holly MacEwen Krafka and John Zielinski with the mission of performing the best American choral music and the goal of performing with many of the finest orchestras in New England. The Chorale’s membership comprises some of the Boston area’s most experienced choral singers and soloists who have performed both locally and internationally with the world’s major orchestras.
The Chorale has performed world premieres encompassing a wide range of musical styles. Pieces commissioned and performed include: Opening Day, written for them by local composer Tom Hojnacki to texts about baseball by Bill Littlefield, host of the National Public Radio program “Only A Game”; How Sweet the Sound, an arrangement of hymns and spirituals for chorus and organ by John Zielinski; Mass by Gregory Short for chorus, percussion, and audience participation; and Infelix Ego for organ, percussion, brass quartet, and chorus, also by Mr. Zielinski.