Celebrating our 50th season
Consonance – Chicago Choral Artists has been a leader of choral music in Chicagoland for fifty years. Together we sing new compositions by contemporary composers and classical masterworks of the choral canon.
Explore Our Upcoming Concerts
20 & 22 March 2026
Here I Am
In this powerful multimedia symphony, Jocelyn Hagen honors the voices and stories of women from across time and culture. This exciting work features choir and orchestra conducted by Michael D. Costello, and striking portraiture projected live. Here I Am celebrates the centennial of the 19th Amendment – the culmination of the women’s suffrage movement – and the ongoing fight for equality. We are joined by Grammy-nominated soprano Laura Strickling and Spirito Singers conducted by Carling FitzSimmons.
A brief talkback session will take place after each performance featuring a presentation by DuShaun Branch Pollard, Community Organizing Director for Change Illinois, on how the challenges to voting represented in the concert resonate with specific efforts to expand and secure voting rights today, especially in Illinois.
Concert Program
Here I Am, Jocelyn Hagen
Crowded Table, Andrea Ramsy
You Must Feel with Certainty, Sarah Kirkland Snider
A Young Nun, Singing, Libby Larsen
Why I Pity the Woman Who Never Spills, Elizabeth Alexander.
Woman Walking, Nell Shaw Cohen
What Happens When a Woman, Alexandra Olsavsky
Beautiful, Zanaida Stewart Robles
Flashlight, Jessie J., arr. Carling FitzSimmons
Nothin’ Gonna Stumble My Feet, arr. by Greg Gilpin.
Past Concerts
Dec 2024 & Dec 2025
A Christmas Carol
With imaginative arrangements of traditional carols and vibrant original music by Benedict Sheehan, this performance promises to bring the festive spirit to life and present an engaging musical dramatization of Charles Dickens’ beloved tale.
01 & 03 Nov 2024
Requiem
In the fall, we embark on a profound journey with Giuseppe Verdi’s masterpiece, the Verdi Requiem, in a fresh chamber orchestra version. This timeless work, composed in memory of the poet Alessandro Manzoni, is a tour de force of choral depth and expressive power.
29 & 30 Mar 2025
Mass in B Minor
Partnering with the Bach Canata Vespers Chorus, we pay homage to the master of Baroque music with J.S. Bach’s transcendent Mass in B Minor. Regarded as one of the supreme achievements of choral music, it is a monumental work of unparalleled beauty and complexity.
30 May & 01 June 2025
We Look to the Stars
We are thrilled to announce that our season will culminate with Juhi Bansal’s “We Look to the Stars.” This cantata for SATB chorus, percussion, harp, and vocal soloists celebrates the wonders of the night sky. The concert will also feature additional works by Marybeth Kurnat and Dan Forrest.
03 & 05 Oct 2025
Sacrificial Love: Human and Divine
From Frank Martin’s Mass for Double Choir to music for solo cello and choir, the entire program is one of introspection, giving listeners and singers alike the opportunity to meditate on words of sacrifice, of mercy, of love. We will be joined by cellist Jean Hatmaker.
Our Story
Consonance is a word that defines different components or people standing in harmony with one another, a perfect way to describe a choir comprised of people with different backgrounds who join as one to create beautiful music.
Consonance has been a leader of choral music in Chicagoland since 1975. With a unified vision we perform the music our audience craves.
Our Director
An accomplished musician, composer, and conductor, Michael Costello has been skillfully leading Consonance for 10 years.
Our Mission
We believe that choral music should be enjoyed by all people and encourage and embrace our collective differences.
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