Resonance Ensemble Receives 2026 Dale Warland Singers Commission Grant

Chorus America is thrilled to announce Resonance Ensemble (Portland, Oregon) as the recipient of the 2026 Dale Warland Singers Commission Grant, which will support a composition from composer Caroline Shaw to be premiered during the ensemble’s 2027-28 season. Chorus America and the American Composers Forum partner to present this grant, which supports projects that share artistically meaningful new work with communities. A panel curated by Chorus America selects the annual grantee. 

 This grant honors Dale Warland and his signature achievement of founding the Dale Warland Singers, recognized internationally as one of America’s finest choirs. An acclaimed composer and arranger in his own right, nurturing the "music of our time" has been essential to Warland throughout his 70-year career. The grant is made possible by the Dale Warland Singers Fund for New Choral Music, a permanently restricted endowment established in 2004. Each selected chorus receives $10,000 — $7,500 toward the commissioning fee and $2,500 to support composer engagement, production, and promotion. In the 2026 cycle, professional choruses were eligible to apply. 

With the 2026 grant, Resonance Ensemble will be collaborating with composer Caroline Shaw on a new contemporary choral commission to be performed by the treble singers of Resonance. This new commission builds on Shaw’s early a cappella work for treble choir, so quietly, which explored a young woman beginning to acknowledge her desire to speak up. The new work will explore an adult woman's more seasoned perspective on leadership and what it feels like to have a voice, to affirm one's power, and to find strength in community. 

This project reflects Resonance's ongoing commitment to expanding artistically innovative and thematically empowering choral repertoire for treble voices. The ensemble is planning multiple performances across Oregon during the 2027–28 season and workshops with high school students in Portland Public Schools, followed by a recording project intended to bring this music to the attention of choirs worldwide. 

“We are deeply honored to receive the 2026 Dale Warland Singers Commission Grant from Chorus America and the American Composers Forum,” said Resonance Ensemble founder and artistic director Katherine FitzGibbon. “Since we began collaborating with Caroline Shaw, we have been dreaming of commissioning her to create a new work for treble voices. Together, we can continue Resonance Ensemble’s commitment to amplifying living composers and creating music that speaks to our time. We’re grateful to bring this project to life and share it with the choral community and the world.” 

"The Dale Warland Singers Commission Grant exists to bring meaningful new music to life, and Resonance Ensemble's project with Caroline Shaw does exactly that,” said Chorus America President and CEO Christopher Eanes. “This commission speaks to the power of choral music to illuminate the human experience — in this case, giving voice to stories of women's leadership, courage, and community. We are proud to support Resonance in expanding a repertoire that choirs and audiences across the country so deeply need, and we look forward to seeing this music reach singers worldwide." 

"On behalf of the American Composers Forum, I am pleased to continue to steward our organization's relationship with Chorus America in supporting the Dale Warland Singers Commission Grant,” said American Composers Forum Executive Director Loki Karuna. “Resonance Ensemble’s desire to expand the repertoire for treble voices is a vital part of the continued choral tradition in America, and aligns resonantly within ACF's mission to support and advocate for today's music creators. I look forward to seeing how this project is received both within the Portland community and throughout the broader choral ecosystem.” 

Visit chorusamerica.org/grants to learn more about Chorus America's Grants Program.  

About Chorus America 

Chorus America is the advocacy, research, and leadership development organization that advances the choral field. We support and serve choral conductors, administrators, board members, and singers with tools, training, peer networking, and access so that choruses are better able to contribute to their communities. 

Chorus America serves around 4,000 choruses, individuals, businesses, and organizations with a wide array of programs, publications, research, and professional services. These services strengthen their ability to build strong organizations that foster quality choral performances and community connections. 

Learn more at chorusamerica.org.