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Register by October 17 to Secure Your Spot!
| Registration Type | Member Price |
|---|---|
| Early Bird Registration (Sept. 11-Oct.3) | $750 |
| General Registration (Oct. 4-Oct.17) | $850 |
“We must do our part in encouraging the creation and performances of new music for our own ensembles, and hopefully for many other choral organizations. Commissioning and premiering new works should become a way of life.
Every choral conductor has an obligation to take on the part-time role of being a scout—keeping an eye and ear out for that potential composer often found in the ranks of your very own choir.
As enthusiastic, venturesome members of your choirs, every one of those singers should have that special opportunity of bringing a commission into being, including the risks associated with commissioning. Likewise every audience, particularly for special occasions, should have the opportunity to enjoy being part of the sometimes-risky adventure that comes with the new.”
-Dale Warland
Nurturing the “music of our time” was essential to Dale Warland across his 70-year choral music career. Though he himself is an acclaimed composer and arranger, his signature work has been in the creation of the Dale Warland Singers, recognized internationally as one of America’s finest choirs.
Commissioning new music was central to Dale Warland during the Singers’ 32 seasons (1972-2004). In all, Warland initiated the commission of 315 original choral works and arrangements, including dozens of selections by Stephen Paulus, and the landmark Walden Pond by Dominick Argento. Warland’s Choral Adventures program solicited scores from numerous young emerging composers like Eric Whitacre, who was still in college when he submitted the manuscript of his now-iconic Water Night.
To honor Dale Warland and the Singers, in 2004 the Dale Warland Singers Fund for New Choral Music was established, a permanently restricted endowment fund. This Fund supported The Dale Warland Singers Commission Award, which in 2024, transitioned to a grant opportunity.
The Dale Warland Singers Commission Grant is presented by Chorus America in partnership with the American Composers Forum, and we are delighted to share that we will begin accepting applications for the next grant cycle as early as this October.
Since this opportunity began in 2008, there have been several changes from previous funding cycles. In addition to transitioning to a grant, the 2025-26 grant cycle includes some specific eligibility criteria and application requirements:
- Each year eligibility rotates based on chorus type. For the upcoming review, we will be accepting applications only from professional and professional-core choruses.
- Also in alignment with the donor’s wishes, only choruses with an active Chorus America membership may submit an application.
- A statement from the composer confirming their participation in the project must accompany each application.
- Applications for the 2026 grant cycle are due Friday, November 21, 2025.
The online portal to apply opens October 7 – the same day we will be hosting an informational webinar. During the webinar, we will address how to apply, how applications will be reviewed by the panel, as well as common questions. If you are interested in applying, please register here.
Brian Newhouse is the former Managing Director of Minnesota Public Radio/American Public Media’s classical programming and a former Chair and current board member of Chorus America. He is currently writing a book on Dale Warland and the Singers.
Kimberly Theodore Sidey is Director of Grants at Chorus America, where she oversees the commission and education grant review processes, collection of data and impact, and learning cohorts for Chorus America’s grant partners.
