Chicago Master Singers

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Chicago Master Singers CMS is an auditioned chorus made up of passionate volunteer singers from the greater Chicago area.

CMS is an auditioned chorus of 100 volunteer singers from Chicago and suburban communities. Our vision is to grow a culture of inclusive, intergenerational ensemble singing through extraordinary musical experiences that lift the human spirit.

10/16/2026

Ready for some amazing artistry by our pianist Lyudmila Lakisova? How about choral music with late-night vibes, shimmering moonlight, singing birds, and a lover secretly sneaking off to see a sweetheart? Join us next weekend Oct 24 & 25 in Glenview. Tickets available on our website.

We look forward to encountering beauty with you! Our Fall concerts are full of inspirational works from the Renaissance ...
10/14/2026

We look forward to encountering beauty with you! Our Fall concerts are full of inspirational works from the Renaissance to today. Oct 24 & 25 in Glenview. Tickets available on our website.

10/10/2026

Can you guess the soloist for our Fall concert? Come experience the 4th movement of Eric Whitacre’s “Five Hebrew Love Songs” to hear the soloist live and in person – October 24 and 25 at Glenview Community Church. Tickets available on our website.

One of the most famous modern choral pieces started at a student improv session?!Ola Gjeilo's "Ubi Caritas" draws inspir...
10/08/2026

One of the most famous modern choral pieces started at a student improv session?!

Ola Gjeilo's "Ubi Caritas" draws inspiration from the Gregorian chant tradition. The composer writes, "The first time I sang in a choir was in high school; I went to a music high school in Norway and choir was obligatory. I loved it from the start, and the first piece we read through was Maurice Duruflé’s "Ubi Caritas," which to me is the perfect a ca****la piece. ​So when I set the same text myself a few years later, it was inevitably influenced by his incomparable setting – though while Duruflé used an existing traditional chant, I used chant more as a general inspiration."

Don't miss "Ubi Caritas" at our Fall concerts Oct 24 & 25 in Glenview. Tickets available on our website.

The hymn "O Day Full of Grace" connects 3 centuries and countries:1️⃣ Medieval Scandinavian morning songs2️⃣ 19th-centur...
10/05/2026

The hymn "O Day Full of Grace" connects 3 centuries and countries:
1️⃣ Medieval Scandinavian morning songs
2️⃣ 19th-century Danish poetry & folk tunes
3️⃣ 20th-century American choral traditions

If you’ve ever sung in a college, church, or community choir in America, chances are you’ve felt the influence of F. Melius Christiansen. Immigrating from Norway to the US as a teenager, Christiansen led the St. Olaf College music program starting in 1901 and pioneered the iconic "St. Olaf sound" with unaccompanied singing, razor-sharp intonation, and long, organ-like phrases.

His signature arrangement of "O Day Full of Grace" expanded a simple 19th-century Danish congregational hymn into an immense Scandinavian-Lutheran soundscape of dawn, community, and light. A true choral treasure!

What's a piece of music that completely changed the way you view the world? Let us know below, then come hear "O Day Full of Grace" at our Fall concerts Oct 24 & 25 in Glenview. Tickets available on our website. 🎶✨

🎂 A Birthday Gift in Song: Swiss composer Ivo Antognini wrote "Every Child Has Known God" in 2022 as a birthday gift for...
10/03/2026

🎂 A Birthday Gift in Song: Swiss composer Ivo Antognini wrote "Every Child Has Known God" in 2022 as a birthday gift for his friend, Japanese conductor Ko Matsush*ta. It premiered at Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall with an SSA choir and piano before getting an SATB arrangement.

🎼 Inside the Score: In Antognini’s piece, the choir repeats the line "Come dance with me" four times to build an expansive climax, before ending with a peaceful coda.

💃 What does "dance" mean in this piece? The text was inspired by a poem by 14th-century Persian poet Hafiz. In Sufi tradition, dance isn't just movement — it's the ultimate surrender to divine love. Antognini’s choral setting captures this by taking the listener on a journey from quiet reflection to a buoyant celebration.

Share "Every Child Has Known God" at our Fall concerts Oct 24 & 25 in Glenview. Tickets available on our website.

10/02/2026

"For happiness I long have sought, and pleasure dearly I have bought..."

Stanford Scriven wrote his own setting of "Christ the Appletree" when he was a junior at St. Olaf College. His setting is pure harmonic magic. The soaring melodies make this a piece that stays with you long after the final note fades. 🎶

Experience Scriven's "Christ the Appletree" at our Fall concerts Oct 24 & 25 in Glenview. Tickets available on our website.

Did you know that Elaine Hagenberg's "Alleluia" sets a 1,600-year-old text by St. Augustine to vibrant modern rhythms? 🎶...
09/29/2026

Did you know that Elaine Hagenberg's "Alleluia" sets a 1,600-year-old text by St. Augustine to vibrant modern rhythms? 🎶✨

Between its buoyant 7/8 meter dance and its lush 8-part vocal harmonies, this piece builds from a single quiet whisper into a radiant wall of sound! 🌊🙌

We can't wait to share this stunning work with you at our upcoming performances on Oct 24 & 25 in Glenview. Tickets available on our website.

09/27/2026

500-year-old poetry + modern choral magic = absolute perfection

"Yo no nací sino para quereros - I was born to love only you." The lyrics to "Amor de mi alma" were written in the 1500s by Spanish soldier and poet Garcilaso de la Vega.

Explore the ultimate 16th-century love poem through Z. Randall Stroope’s breathtaking harmonies.

We look forward to sharing this amazing piece with you on Oct 24 & 25 in Glenview. Tickets available on our website.

Choral music as a real-life love letter?Eric Whitacre's "Five Hebrew Love Songs" is a set of troubadour songs, originall...
09/25/2026

Choral music as a real-life love letter?

Eric Whitacre's "Five Hebrew Love Songs" is a set of troubadour songs, originally written for three friends appearing as a band of traveling musicians: the composer, soprano Hila Plitmann (the composer's then-girlfriend and author of the poems), and violinist Friedemann Eichhorn.

The composer writes, "Each of the songs captures a moment that Hila and I shared together. The title of the second movement – "Kala Kalla" (which means "light bride") – was a pun I came up with while she was teaching me Hebrew. The bells at the beginning of the fourth movement are the exact pitches that awakened us each morning in Speyer, Germany as they rang from a nearby cathedral."

Hear all five troubadour songs at our Fall concerts Oct 24 & 25 in Glenview. Tickets available at tiny.cc/CMStickets

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