The Ensemble
Now in its 32nd season, Cerddorion is a New York chamber choir that brings singers and audiences together through the rich tradition of choral music—presenting masterpieces of early polyphony to compelling new works by contemporary composers. Through thoughtful programming, artistic collaboration, and an ongoing commitment to commissioning new music, we celebrate choral singing as a living tradition that honors its past while helping shape its future. Cerddorion is a multi-generational volunteer ensemble dedicated to high artistic standards. Our singers include professional musicians and accomplished amateurs who share a deep passion for choral arts.
Fostering new Music
&
Collaboration
Fostering new choral music is central to Cerddorion’s mission. We have commissioned work from prominent composers (including Lisa Bielawa, Sidney Marquez Boquiren, Robert Dennis, Elliot Z. Levine, David Stern, Calliope Tsoupaki and Pulitzer Prize winners David Lang and Paul Moravec) as well as talented artists not as well-known. Cerddorion’s annual Emerging Composers Competition draws an international applicant pool and has led to world premieres by 15 rising composers.
Collaboration is another central tenet: Cerddorion’s artistic partners have included youth ensembles, folk musicians, modern dance companies, baroque orchestras, Shakespearean actors, and others. In 2023 the group co-presented concerts in New York and at Yale University with The Unsung Collective, a Harlem-based ensemble directed by Tyrone Clinton, Jr., featuring choral settings of poetry by Langston Hughes. In 2018, the group performed for eight nights in The Mile-Long Opera: A Biography of 7 O’Clock—as New York City’s High Line became the stage for a massive multimedia performance created by architect Liz Diller, composer David Lang, and librettists Anne Carson and Claudia Rankine.
Cerddorion is a proud member of the New York Choral Consortium and Vocal Area Network, and an Artist in Residence at the St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church.