In August, 2000, Artistic Director Gretchen Kuhrmann founded Choralis, a choral music ensemble devoted to excellent choral performances, professional development opportunities for young soloists and conductors, and education and training for high school students. Today, Choralis, an auditioned SATB chorus, has become one of the finest choral organizations in Northern Virginia and in the Washington DC area.

Audiences throughout the United States and Europe and critics alike have recognized Choralis for its musical excellence. Critics observed “…Kuhrmann has trained this big group to sing with the delicacy and transparency of a chamber chorus, and it does this very well.” (Washington Post)

But providing wonderful choral opportunities is not the only thing in which Choralis excels. Kuhrmann explains, “Choralis is committed to partnering with local and national charities at each concert, highlighting critical needs and giving opportunities for our patrons to learn about ways to help.” Further, “Choralis collaborates with other arts organizations to reach underserved and diverse populations, sharing the joy of music with all.”

Only about 25 percent of Choralis revenue comes from ticket sales. As a result, grants, donations, and funds from Extra Credit are essential to continue providing large-scale choral works with orchestras to audiences. Through participation in the Extra Credit Donation Program through Heartland Payment Systems, multiple business owners have designated Choralis as the recipient of monthly contributions from the card processing fees they pay to Heartland. Choralis Foundation Board Chair Barbara Alexander comments, “Extra Credit contributions have been a critical component of our budget…Like many organizations, the pandemic was a challenge as we did not sing for over two years. But with generous contributions, including those from Extra Credit, we not only kept our organization running, but were able to pivot to innovative ways of keeping our singers engaged and supported…Coming back from the pandemic, these contributions have helped us keep going while we grow our donor base and return to full-scale performances.”

Based upon support from Extra Credit, Heartland Payment Systems, other organizations, and individuals, the future looks bright for Choralis. Kuhrmann says, “The arts matter! Choralis will continue to be a beacon for those musicians and patrons who wish to experience great musical art at the highest level.” Others think so as well. Jeff, a tenor, says, “I’ve been involved with Choralis off and on for more than a decade. I’m not a professional singer, but I sing in my church choir, and what I’ve loved about Choralis is that it kicks things up a notch…It’s a tremendous and supportive community.” High school singer Lucy, who plans to major in piano and classics after graduation says, “I’ve loved that Choralis allows me to be a part of the community in a way that I don’t have in my high school… (T)his allows me to sing with people of all ages and walks of life and in the community and that is great.” Finally, Susan, who has sung with Choralis about 8 years said, “I’m a classically trained musician and I wanted to do more serious literature than we can do with my church choir. We can do larger works and perform with a larger group and orchestra. I love the variety of music we do, especially the masterworks, but I also love that we do works by new composers and bring really meaningful works to our audience….It’s not just notes and rhythm, it’s MUSIC, with a message and emotions.”