“I don’t know of another choir anywhere quite like the St. Louis Chamber Chorus.  A combination of unusual old and commissioned, new a cappella repertoire, diverse venues chosen to complement the programming, interesting and wide-ranging notes on the music and exacting standards make the Chamber Chorus stand out.”

Sarah Bryan Miller, Classical Music Critic
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 26, 2006
 *

The Saint Louis Chamber Chorus is a not-for-profit organization committed to presenting the finest a cappella choral works, seeking to entertain, educate, and inspire audiences through its unique programs in St. Louis’s finest public buildings.  Now enjoying its second half-century, the forty-voice ensemble performs six concerts annually and may be heard on several compact discs.  Under the direction of English conductor Philip Barnes for the last nineteen years, the Chamber Chorus combines outstanding acoustics with originality and excellence of its presentations, and has established an enviable reputation as the midwest’s premier a cappella ensemble.

The Chamber Chorus is affiliated with the American Choral Directors Association.  The Chorus is not associated with any religious or educational institution, and welcomes performers and listeners from any background, discriminating against no one.  Although much of the Chorus’ repertoire is sacred and sung in sacred buildings, the repertoire and venues are selected purely on artistic grounds.

In 1999, classical music critic Sarah Bryan Miller of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch described the Chamber Chorus as “a well-disciplined and highly musical group of singers,” that “works hard and achieves a great sound.  Music director Philip Barnes does an admirable job of scouring the archives for interesting works and puts together stylish, interesting programs.  This is one of the stars in our city’s musical crown.” *  The St. Louis Post-Dispatch also commented in 1997 that Philip Barnes “may be the most interesting and imaginative programmer in town,” and the St. Louis Chapter of the American Guild of Organists honored him with an award for outstanding choral direction.

Financial support for the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus is made possible by grants from the Arts and Education Council, the Missouri Arts Council, and the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis.

* Reprinted with permission of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, copyright 1997-2006
Photo by John W. Shaffer of the Chamber Chorus’
Christmas 2002 Concert at the St. Agatha Church



The material on this web site, including the logo at the top of each page, is copyrighted © 1955-2008 by the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus.  Most of it has been written or compiled by Philip Barnes and other Chorus personnel.  The current formatting and organization is by Roger Hill, who would like to acknowledge James V. Lowe and Bimal Desai for their previous versions on which this one is based.  Revised 2008 August 14.