A Living Foundation: Shafer, O’Regan & Mozart
The City Choir of Washington opens its 2026–27 season with a concert celebrating the ensemble’s 20th season. The program honors the choir’s history while highlighting new choral music, beginning with the world premiere of Artistic Director Emeritus Robert Shafer’s *Hymn to God the Father*, followed by the East Coast premiere of Tarik O’Regan’s *Critical Mass*. The concert concludes with Mozart’s *Vesperae solennes de confessore*, K. 339, featuring soloists from the Wolf Trap Opera Studio.
*Critical Mass* is a kaleidoscopic work originally commissioned for the coronation of King Charles III. The performance brings together the City Choir of Washington, Wolf Trap Opera Studio soloists, the City Choir Orchestra, organist Benjamin LaPrarie, and conductor Erin Freeman.
When: Sunday, November 8, 2026
Showtimes: 5:00–7:00 PM
Program: Robert Shafer, *Hymn to God the Father*—world premiere; Tarik O’Regan, *Critical Mass*—East Coast premiere; and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, *Vesperae solennes de confessore*, K. 339
Performers: The City Choir of Washington, soloists from the Wolf Trap Opera Studio, and the City Choir Orchestra
Featured soloists: Calista Smith, soprano; Madison Kavanaugh, mezzo-soprano; Rudy Polk, tenor; and Christopher Gray, bass-baritone
Additional musicians: Benjamin LaPrarie, organ
Conductor: Erin Freeman, Artistic Director of the City Choir of Washington, Director of the Saint Louis Symphony Chorus, Artistic Director of Wintergreen Music, and Principal Conductor of the Richmond Ballet
Composers: Tarik O’Regan is a London-born composer based in San Francisco whose work spans opera, dance, orchestral, choral, and chamber music. His music has received two GRAMMY nominations and two Ivors and appears on more than 50 albums. Robert Shafer, the City Choir’s Artistic Director Emeritus, led the ensemble during its first 15 years and previously directed the Washington Chorus for more than 35 years. He won a GRAMMY for Best Choral Performance for a live recording of Britten’s *War Requiem* and studied composition with Nadia Boulanger.
Soloist background: Calista Smith is a former Wolf Trap Opera Studio artist and a Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition District Winner and Southeast Region Encouragement Award recipient. Madison Kavanaugh is studying at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and has participated in the Wolf Trap Opera Studio in 2025 and 2026. Rudy Polk, a Yale master’s student in opera, is a former Wolf Trap Opera Studio artist and has performed roles including Alfred in *Die Fledermaus* and Nemorino in *L’elisir d’amore*. Christopher Gray joined Wolf Trap Opera as a 2026 Studio Artist and has performed roles including Aleko, Guglielmo in *Così fan tutte*, and Colline and Schaunard in *La bohème*.
Run time: The scheduled program lasts approximately two hours, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM.
Ages: Age restrictions are not specified.
Tickets: Price not available
Venue: National Presbyterian Church, 4101 Nebraska Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
Parking: Free parking is available behind the church.
Metro access: Tenleytown Station on the Red Line is approximately a 10-minute walk away. From the station, walk south on Wisconsin Avenue, turn right onto Nebraska Avenue at Tenley Circle, and continue for two blocks.
Accessibility: From the church’s main entrance, guests can use either the stairs or an elevator to reach the third-floor sanctuary.