The Alexandria Choral Society was formed in 1970 as a component of the Performing Arts Association of Alexandria. ACS separated from that organization in 1978 and was incorporated on July 10, 1978. The Alexandria Choral Society is currently a member of the Alexandria Arts Forum. Past Music Directors have included Francisco de Araujo, Martin Piecuch, Robert Shafer, Douglas Major, Kerry Krebill, Keith Reas, and Philip Cave. Our current Interim Artistic Director, Neil Weston, was named July 1, 2007.

ACS has 40-50 adult singing members and approximately the same number (50) in our Children's Chorus, directed by Kevin Carr. ACS is unique among choral groups in the area because of our program of commissioning new choral compositions by local composers approximately every two years and by our commitment to regular performances of American choral music. Most seasons include a program of American works, and ACS since 1984 has commissioned and premiered a new choral work approximately every two years. Commissions have been given to composers Robert Shafer, Richard Bales, Russell Woollen, Stephen Douglas Burton, Daniel Gawthrop, Garrison Hull, Mark Adamo, William Hawley, James Grant, Frances Thompson McKay, and Paul Ayres.

The size of the chorus - "chamber" rather than "symphonic" - makes it ideal for many works of the Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical periods, but during Maestra Kerry Krebill's tenure as Artistic Director it has become especially known for its commitment to contemporary music. In addition to featuring the work of contemporary American composers (many of them local) in at least one of its concerts each season, the Choral Society has programmed music by Arnold Schoenberg, Benjamin Britten, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Hugo Distler, Frank Martin, and Arvo Pärt. Yet there is also a dedication to the masterpieces of the past, combining to provide a high level of musical enrichment for members and audiences alike.

The Alexandria Choral Society is a nationally recognized chamber chorus which in recent years has performed with Rosemary Clooney and the National Symphony Pops, with Marvin Hamlisch at the Kennedy Center and in the televised Horatio Alger Awards with Ed McMahon and the Hollywood music director/composer David Foster of Olympic fame. In 1992 the Choral Society won the first ASCAP award ever presented to a chorus for Adventuresome Programming. In its special focus of championing the American composer, the choir regularly commissions new works; it also performs the classics of our heritage, locally and for appreciative audiences on nine European concert tours. In December the choir brought its signature work, Virginia composer Russell Woollen's Alexandria Suite, complete with orchestra and video, to 2nd graders from all Alexandria public schools in a performance at Hammond Middle School.

The chorus' artistic excellence and contribution to its community has been generously recognized: The Alexandria Choral Society has twice received the coveted ALEX Award from the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce; the chorus receives annual grants from Alexandria Commission for the Arts and the Virginia Commission for the Arts. In the spirit of giving back to the community which has supported its artistic endeavors, the Choral Society offers the Alexandria area youth the unparalleled opportunity of singing in the ACS Children's Chorus.

Joseph McLellan, chief music critic emeritus of the Washington Post, has written about the Alexandria Choral Society: "This chorus is one of the things that makes Alexandria a very special place." We feel that by presenting an opportunity for our children to sing in a chorus of equally high quality, Alexandria will become an even MORE special place.

If you would like more information about how you can support the Choral Society, or would like to find out about upcoming events, please contact us at the below address or email us. To find out ways to financially support ACS, please visit our fundraising page.

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