Our 2025-2026 Season
Gates of Justice
PREVIOUS PERFORMANCE
October 24th, 2025 at 7:30pm (approx. 100 min)
Program
Join us for an inspiring evening of music that speaks to the soul and to society. The program features Dave Brubeck’s The Gates of Justice, a bold fusion of jazz, classical, and spiritual traditions calling for racial and social unity, paired with Margaret Bonds’ Credo, a powerful choral affirmation of human dignity and belief in justice. A stirring celebration of hope, resilience, and shared humanity — not to be missed.
Margaret Bonds, whose career spanned the mid 20th century was one of the first U.S. Black composers of renown. A tireless advocate for racial and social justice, Bonds was a longtime collaborator and friend of Langston Hughes. Her masterpiece Credo sets a text by W.E.B. DuBois. Dave Brubeck’s The Gates of Justice is a fitting companion piece to the Bonds Credo. The work focuses on the historic and spiritual parallels of the Jew and Black Americans, and through the juxtaposition of a variety of musical styles; as well as texts from the Hebrew Bible, Hillel & Martin Luther King, speaks to the interconnectedness of humankind.
Joy of the Season
PREVIOUS PERFORMANCE
December 9th, 2025 at 7:30pm
Program
A beloved Raleigh holiday tradition! The Chorale’s 170-voice Symphonic Choir, Chamber Choir, and Youth Choir accompanied by brass ensemble, percussion, piano, and organ return to Meymandi Concert Hall to sing the festive music of the season. You’ll hear familiar carols and enjoy new and contemporary settings destined to become holiday favorites. You’ve seen us on UNC-TV, now come experience the Joy of the Season live with the North Carolina Master Chorale.
Love Songs of Lennon and McCartney
February 15th, 2026 at 3pm
The Rialto
Celebrate your Valentine’s Day with a 16-voice chamber choir, piano, bass, and drums. This season we feature love songs from John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Come enjoy classics like "All You Need Is Love", "Can't Buy Me Love", "Here, There, and Everywhere", and "Yesterday". The Rialto, Raleigh’s iconic theatre, returns as a venue for this concert.
Brahms Requiem
March 8th, 2026 at 3pm
Meymandi Concert Hall
Experience the profound beauty of Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem — a deeply human work of comfort and hope. Unlike traditional requiems, Brahms’ masterpiece offers solace not for the dead, but for the living, with soaring choral writing and lush orchestration. Join us for an unforgettable afternoon of reflection, compassion, and transcendent music. Also on the program is Antonín Dvořák’s Te Deum.
Johannes Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) is unique within the genre. Rather than set the Latin text from the Roman Catholic liturgy, Brahms assembled a sacred text that addresses the living, “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted”. Brahms himself stated that he would have preferred to title the work “A Human Requiem”. This masterpiece remains one of the most affecting compositions in the choral / orchestral repertoire, beloved by audiences and singers alike.
Shall We Dance?
May 8th, 2026 at 7:30pm
Hayes Barton United Methodist
Songs about dancing, as well as songs set in a specific dance rhythm or style, stretch throughout music history and across all cultures and nationalities. This program will sample a wide variety of music from the Renaissance to contemporary, including pop music, musical theatre, and world music. You’ll hear pieces by Schubert, Brahms, Britten, Copland, Van Morrison, and Abba, as well as music from “Wicked”.
We Are Phoenix
May 17th, 2026 at 7pm
Stewart Theatre at NCSU
The Earth has shown itself to be a powerful model of how to overcome obstacle through continual rebirth and evolution. Through poetry from multiple authors, We Are Phoenix illuminates the analogy between humans and our planet: we both suffer loss and devastation and yet rise again and again, becoming stronger each time. Join the Master Chorale Youth Choir for the North Carolina premiere of this moving, reflective, beautiful Timothy Takach piece.
