Bruce Tammen, the founder and artistic director of Chicago Chorale, is retiring and will conduct a final concert later this month.
According to an announcement this week, Tammen will mark his departure from the respected choral group he founded in 2001 with a concert on May 31 in Hyde Park, where he will conduct Gabriel Fauré’s “Requiem,” along with a cappella pieces by Johann David, Nikolai Golovanov, Josef Rheinberger, Heinrich Schütz and John Tavener.
His retirement, previously reported in the Tribune, caps a career of leading the 60-voice ensemble for 24 seasons. As former Tribune classical music critic John von Rhein wrote in 2016, the fact that Chicago Chorale’s members were all volunteers was the group’s superpower.
Tammen, he wrote, “likes to present challenging repertory that, as a rule, only professional ensembles ever venture — and he does so with a chorus made up entirely of amateur singers. Holding membership to unpaid volunteer voices allows him to allot much more rehearsal time than other midsized choral groups can afford, which allows the chorale to take on big works that would otherwise be prohibitively expensive to produce.”
Based in Hyde Park, Chicago Chorale’s singers come from all over the Chicago area and Northwest Indiana. Under Tammen’s leadership, it has recorded seven albums and completed four European tours. Next season, Chicago Chorale will perform with three guest conductors, each of whom will rehearse with the group and lead one concert: Benjamin Rivera in the fall, Maurice Boyer in winter and Amanda Huntleigh in spring 2027.
“Tammen has left a profound impact on Chicago Chorale’s singers, audience and broader community,” Chicago Chorale board president Daniel Comeaux said in part, in a statement. “His commitment to making great music available to singers and listeners from all backgrounds is inspiring and will continue to guide Chorale’s mission.”
dgeorge@chicagotribune.com
If you go
3 p.m. May 31 at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 5472 S. Kimbark Ave. in Hyde Park, followed by a reception in Ida Noyes Hall at the University of Chicago, 1212 E 59th St.; tickets $35-$45 and more information at chicagochorale.org
