The Westmoreland Festival Chorus is a community organization that prepares both Sacred and secular works for the Bethesda community, and raises funds for local charities and service organizations. A part of the social outreach activities of the church, the choir is made up of a diverse group of singers from the surrounding areas and beyond, and engages both amateur and professional musicians. They
have presented the Requiems of Mozart, Fauré, and Duruflé; cantatas by Bach, Britten, and Pinkham; and major works by Vaughan Williams, Kodály, Handel, Schubert, and others. In 2014, they presented the world premier of The Imaginary City, a cantata inspired by the life of Palestinian violist Ramzi Aburedwan, which raised over $17,000 for Al Kamandjati music schools of Palestine. The Westmoreland Festival Chorus continues to work with many of the area’s best musicians to create beauty in the world, sustain a rigorous yet edifying experience for its singers, and provide support to the many local organizations that seek to do good in our community. Music has the propensity to create new experiences, awake new insights, and provoke conversation. Those energies can be used to counter oppressive forces in the world, and promote people and community.
