Northern Kentucky Community Chorus

10/10/2026

Having a great time at our Come & Sing: Vaughan Williams with guest conductor, Matthew Swanson.

10/06/2026

Sign up today! $20 for a great day of singing together. Music and lunch is provided.

10/02/2026

It's not too late to register and join us NEXT weekend, October 10th for a fantastic day of singing three pieces by British composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams, with guest conductor Matthew Swanson, Director of May Festival Choruses. Register today -- $20 provides you lunch and music! What a deal.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/come-and-sing-vaughan-williams

09/29/2026

Spread the word to attend this concert of our friend Joe Miller and the UC-CCM Chamber Choir this Friday, October 2nd at 8 pm at Christ Church Cathedral. They are performing two fantastic pieces of music, a Bach cantata and David Lang's The Little Matchgirl Passion. This is a "don't miss it" event! It's even free.

09/25/2026

Sign up today to attend our Come & Sing: Vaughan Williams on October 10th with guest conductor Matthew Swanson (Director of May Festival Choruses). $20 for registration, music, and lunch! The main piece we will dive into is "Toward the Unknown Region". The words and music are magnificent. Come & Sing with us for a day.

Registration:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/come-and-sing-vaughan-williams

Listen to the piece:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlzIm34aFl8&list=RDTlzIm34aFl8&start_radio=1

TOWARD THE UNKNOWN REGION
Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

Darest thou now, O soul,
Walk out with me toward the unknown region,
Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

No map there, nor guide,
Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand,
Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

I know it not, O soul,
Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us,
All waits undream’d of in that region, that inaccessible land.

Till when the ties loosen,
All but the ties eternal, Time and Space,
Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.

Then we burst forth, we float,
In Time and Space O soul, prepared for them,
Equal, equipt at last, (O joy! O fruit of all!) them to fulfill, O soul!

Come add your voice to the music of Vaughan Williams with guest conductor Dr. Matthew Swanson. This relaxed “Come & Sing” event welcomes singers of all…

09/23/2026

Dear singers, donors, and friends of NKCC,

It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that John Westlund, founding director of the Northern Kentucky Community Chorus, died on Sunday night. We were fortunate to have him with us at our spring concert in April 2026.

For those who wish to attend, his funeral will be on Wednesday, September 30th at Grace Fellowship Church (9379 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY), the visitation will be from 4-6 pm and the funeral service will begin at 6 pm.

The Northern Kentucky Community Chorus was John's creation. As the choral professor at NKU, he wanted a community outreach program in 1980, and NKCC was born. John founded this organization to sing the masterworks of choral music, anchoring the seasons with performances of Handel's Messiah every two years. In 2007, John asked if NKCC could use Lakeside Presbyterian Church as a rehearsal and performance space. He continued to conduct NKCC until December 2012, when health reasons forced him to step aside, at which point he asked if I would become the conductor. I was honored to take this role and have strived to keep the traditions of NKCC alive. We will dedicate this 46th season to his memory.

There is so much that could be said, and I'm sure that John would prefer to hear it sung rather than spoken. All the words and melodies that come to my mind are in the Requiems, Te Deums, Magnificats, and Masses that he conducted. And, the many Messiah movements that he loved so dearly: Comfort ye my people; Glory to God in the highest; I know that my Redeemer liveth; O death, where is thy sting?; Worthy is the Lamb; and of course, Hallelujah.

From the Requiem masses that John conducted:

Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine:
cum Sanctis tuis in aeternum, quia pius es.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine:
et lux perpetua luceat eis:
Cum Sanctis tuis in aeternum, quia pius es.

May light eternal shine upon them, O Lord,
with Thy Saints for evermore, for Thou art gracious.
Eternal rest give to them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them:
With Thy Saints for evermore, for Thou art gracious.

Stephanie Nash
Artistic Director
Northern Kentucky Community Chorus

09/20/2026

It's time to sign up for our first full day Come & Sing event of the season. We welcome Matthew Swanson, Director of May Festival Choruses, to be our guest conductor and teacher for the day. Tell your friends about it. We will have a great time learning together. Registration is $20, which includes your music and lunch. Either scan the QR code or register on our website at nkychorus.org

09/16/2026

We are FULL for this session with 104 singers. We will not accept any more new members until January. Mark your calendars to attend our two concerts or one-day Come & Sing events this fall on October 10th and December 19th. All registration links are on our website, nkychorus.org

Choral music is alive and well! Fa la la!

05/01/2026

As a supporter of choral music, NKCC wants you to know about a visiting University choir to the Northern Kentucky area. The concert is this Monday night, the 4th, at 7 pm at Immanuel Church. It's a free concert.