Bellevue Chamber Chorus: i believe

Join us as we present music that explores belief systems from around the world!

Our concert begins by exploring the creeds and defining mantras of the world's major religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. The second half of the concert takes a broader look at spiritual meaning and presents a different perspective on faith and happiness.

The texts in our music come from a variety of sources, including the Christian Bible; the Dalai Lama; and poetry of Bengali polymath Rabindranath Tagore and Ralph Waldo Emerson. We will sing ancient prayers, hymns to the sun, find peace in the natural world, and renewal in flame and flight. Come join us as we collaborate with a string quartet and present works by Antonio Vivaldi, Ola Gjeilo, Lili Boulanger, as well as an arrangement of an Islamic chant sung in Urdu, and more.

Human beings have created a wide range of spiritual belief systems that are marked by many differences, and though we present a variety of perspectives, we also seek to highlight what unifies the human spiritual experience.

About Bellevue Chamber Chorus

Bellevue Chamber Chorus, founded in 1984, performs a minimum of three major concerts each season, encompassing a variety of choral literature from the classical standards and contemporary works to world music, Broadway hits, and vocal jazz. The Chorus often joins other ensembles in performances of major choral/orchestral works, such as Mozart’s Vespers and Requiem, Faure’s Requiem, Verdi’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Brahms’ Requiem, Rutter's Mass of the Children, and Ariel Ramirez' Misa por la Paz y la Justicia. The ensemble has premiered works by regional composers, including commissioned works for the Washington State Centennial Celebration, the grand opening of the Theatre at Meydenbauer Center, a special 20th anniversary season commissioned piece, That Music Always Round Me, by Seattle composer, John Muehleisen, and co-commissions of pieces by Andre Thomas and Eric Whitacre. The Chorus has released three CDs, “Timeframes”, “Retrospective”, and our 2013 holiday CD, “Christmas Visions, Winter Dreams”. Bellevue Chamber Chorus tours often and has performed in Carnegie Hall, various locations in Europe, the International Music Festival (2000) in Sydney, Australia, and twice at the invitational Kathaumixw International Choral Festival in Powell River, British Columbia, where they won first place in 2008 in the adult mixed chorus category. Other performances include the Leavenworth International Choral Festival, the international “Rolling Requiem” in memory of September 11th, as one of the regional choruses in the NEA sponsored American Masterpieces Choral Festival in Seattle, and in Kelowna, B.C. as part of the Okanogan Choral Society Series. The Chorus toured the south of France in the summer of 2017 and participated in the 22nd International Choir Festival in Provence, and the 9th International Choir Festival in Aveyron. The Chorus has been selected as one of only six choirs to perform in a special GSCC event “Welcome Home Morten Lauridsen” in October 2019. Bellevue Chamber Chorus has active memberships in the Bellevue Downtown Association, Greater Seattle Choral Consortium (GSCC) and Chorus America. The Chorus is supported in part by the Bellevue Arts Commission and 4Culture.