Grant Park Chorus Christopher Bell, Chorus Director The Grant Park Chorus was formed in 1962 by Thomas Peck, who led the group until his passing in 1994. His protégé, Michael Cullen, took up the reins until 1997, after which the Chorus worked with a series of prominent guest conductors until 2002 when an international search identified the current chorus director, Christopher Bell. In a typical year, Bell oversees a chorus of more than 100 singers, along with the Project Inclusion Vocal Fellows, a unique professional development program designed to increase diversity in the field of choral music. Bell prepares all of the Festival’s choral programs and conducts the orchestra and chorus in several concerts throughout the season. Winners of the 2006 Margaret Hillis Award for artistic excellence, the Grant Park Chorus is a fully professional ensemble with a majority of the vocalists working and living in Illinois. In addition to making frequent solo appearances and holding teaching positions in music schools, universities and private studios across the Chicago area, members of the Grant Park Chorus perform with ensembles such as Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago a cappella, and the Chicago Symphony Chorus. In 2012, the Grant Park Chorus celebrated its 50th anniversary season with the commercial recording Songs of Smaller Creatures and Other American Choral Works. During the 2021 Grant Park Music Festival, the Chorus has played a prominent part in the season’s offerings at Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion, with all featured soloists coming from within the ranks of the Chorus—a testament to the depth of talent of the celebrated ensemble. The Chorus will again take the stage on Wednesday, August 18th to perform music by Franz Schubert and Benjamin Britten, and over the following weekend (August 20 & 21) to perform the rarely heard Dettingen Te Deum by George Frideric Handel.
Christopher Bell warms up the chorus with a couple jokes.
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