Corvallis Repertory Singers

05/09/2026

We are proud to announce our 2026/2027 season! Read on for a brief description of each concert and where you can find season tickets.

A Child of Our Time Oct. 18, 3 p.m.
We open our season with Michael Tippett’s dramatic and emotional mid-century secular masterpiece, set for chorus, symphony orchestra, and soloists. Tippett draws on the history of Handel and Bach, as well as the British choral tradition, but innovatively interweaves the African American spiritual to express his desire for peaceful coexistence in a world that has so often fallen short.

Candlelight and Carols: Dixit Dominus Dec. 13, 3 p.m.
Join us in ringing in the holiday season with Marianna von Martines’s setting of Dixit Dominus. This bright and cheerful setting has long been overlooked, as has this Viennese female composer from the second half of the 18th century, whose optimistic style was known and admired throughout Europe. The program will also include holiday songs and carols.

Ellington’s Sacred Concerts April 25, 2027, 3 p.m.
We close our season with sacred music through the brilliant mind of Duke Ellington. His innovative Sacred Concerts for soloists, choir, and jazz band bring the audience an unforgettable afternoon of soulful sounds featuring the OSU Jazz Band under the leadership of OSU faculty member Ryan Biesack.

Season tickets are on sale now on the PRAx website under Corvallis-PRAx Presents season tickets. Each season ticket is a $10 discount compared to buying tickets separately for each concert. We look forward to singing for you again in the fall!

05/07/2026

As we end our 25th season and look forward to the announcement of our 26th season later this week, please consider making an end-of-season gift to CRS. We hope to continue making music in the Corvallis community for another 25 years and beyond, but we can’t do it without you! Visit our website to donate and learn how your donation will be used in our upcoming season.

05/05/2026

Thank you to our wonderful patrons for attending yesterday’s concert! It was a marvelous day to celebrate the end of a special 25th season and the world premiere of “Judith,” composed by Melissa Dunphy.

Stay tuned for a 26/27 season announcement later this week!

05/02/2026

This Sunday, plan to arrive at our spring concert at 2pm for an interview between CRS singer and OSU professor Tekla Bude and Melissa Dunphy during the Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts Lightbox Happy Hour.

“The interview will cover: the historical contexts and text of Tallis' Spem in Alium, the process Melissa Dunphy went through to compose Judith, and how Spem in Alium and Judith are connected.”

“Tekla Bude is Associate Professor of English at OSU. Before coming to OSU, she worked at Cambridge University and the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. She's been singing in choirs since she was in preschool, and currently sings with CRS and Evenstar Ensemble, an Early Music chamber choir, in Portland.”

04/30/2026

Here’s what composer Melissa Dunphy has to say about her piece Judith:

“For over a decade, I have wanted to write a musical work inspired by the Renaissance concept of Weibermacht (“Power of Women”) after I became fascinated by the works of Italian Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi. Gentileschi processed the trauma of her sexual assault and subsequent inhumane legal proceedings through her art, which depicts biblical stories of women defeating men, positioning herself as the victor over her abusers. Naturally, I was thrilled when approached by the Corvallis Repertory Singers and Oregon State University to compose a work centered upon the Anglo-Saxon poem Judith, a story which inspired several of Gentileschi’s best-known paintings. The resulting song, Judith, sets the Old English speech Judith gives to her people after beheading Holofernes, celebrating her triumph and calling them to action against the invading forces.

Just as the biblical narrative was repurposed a thousand years ago as literary resistance against violent attacks on England by Vikings, and served to empower Gentileschi in the 17th century, the story of one woman’s bravery remains inspiringly hopeful as a condemnation of contemporary injustice and tyranny.”

Be sure to get your tickets and join us this Sunday for the world premiere of this remarkable piece!

04/29/2026

We are hard at work rehearsing for this weekend’s concert! Enjoy this clip of us rehearsing Luminous Night of the Soul by Ola Gjielo, and be sure to get your tickets before they are gone!

04/28/2026

A big thank you to the organizations that have sponsored us this season: the Oregon Cultural Trust, the Benton County Cultural Coalition, and the Oregon State University Center for the Humanities! This weekend’s concert and our 25th season would not be possible without your support!

04/25/2026

Be sure to join us early on the day of our spring concert for the Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts Lightbox happy hour starting at 2pm, featuring a pre-concert talk with composer Melissa Dunphy and Tekla Bude, Associate Professor of English at OSU. Learn about the text and historical contexts of Tallis’ Spem in Alium and how this 16th-century work is interconnected with the newly commissioned Judith. Get a behind-the-scenes look at Melissa’s process in composing Judith ahead of its world premiere.

04/23/2026

To celebrate our 25th anniversary, we have commissioned internationally recognized composer Melissa Dunphy to write “Judith”. Learn more about Melissa below, and be sure to grab your tickets to our spring concert soon.

“Philadelphia-based composer Melissa Dunphy first gained national attention in 2009 when her large-scale work The Gonzales Cantata was featured in The Wall Street Journal and on The Rachel Maddow Show. Recent notable works include Totality, premiered by The King’s Singers and VOCES8 at the 2024 BBC Proms, and A Gritty Resolution, honored with a 2024 “Best of Philly” award by Philadelphia Magazine. Commissioners include Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, New Jersey All-State Mixed Chorus and Orchestra, Cantus, Chor Leoni, the BBC Singers, and Oberlin Opera Theater. Dunphy has a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.M. from West Chester University and teaches at Rutgers University. She is also an amateur archaeologist; along with her husband Matt, she co-hosts the podcast The Boghouse and is developing the Necessary Museum to showcase their local discoveries. More at www.melissadunphy.com"

12/25/2025

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from CRS!

Traditional English Carol, arr. John RutterSteven M. Zielke, artistic directorNicola Nine, collaborative pianoDaniel Cespedes, edit & mixFor more information...