Orchestra Seattle and the Seattle Chamber Singers form a partnership unique among Pacific Northwest musical organizations, combining a 60-member orchestra with a 40-voice chorus to perform oratorio masterworks alongside symphonic repertoire and world premieres by Seattle-area composers.

George Shangrow (1951–2010) founded the Seattle Chamber Singers in 1969, when still a teenager. The group performed a diverse array of music, from works of the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods to contemporary pieces and world premieres, partnering with an ad hoc group of instrumentalists to present Bach cantatas and Handel oratorios—many of which received their first Seattle performances under Shangrow’s direction.

A decade later, in 1979, Shangrow formed an orchestra at the request of those musicians who frequently accompanied the Seattle Chamber Singers in oratorio repertoire. Originally called the Broadway Symphony (after the Broadway Performance Hall on Seattle’s Capitol Hill, where it gave its first concerts), the group changed its name—to Orchestra Seattle—at the beginning of the 1991–1992 season.

With Shangrow on the podium (or conducting from the harpsichord), OSSCS became renowned for performances of the Bach Passions and numerous Handel oratorios—particularly Messiah. During the “Bach Year” of 1985, the ensembles presented 35 concerts devoted to dozens upon dozens of Bach’s works to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

Over the past four decades, OSSCS has performed all of the greatest choral-orchestral masterpieces, from Beethoven’s Ninth and Missa Solemnis to Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, Mendelssohn’s Elijah to Brahms’ German Requiem, and Haydn’s The Creation and The Seasons to Britten’s War Requiem. Meanwhile, Orchestra Seattle, partnering with world-class soloists, explored the symphonic repertoire, programming beloved warhorses alongside seldom-performed gems. Throughout, Shangrow championed the music of local composers (especially Robert Kechley, Carol Sams and Huntley Beyer), presenting well over 100 world premieres.

George Shangrow lost his life in a car crash on July 31, 2010, an event that shocked not only OSSCS musicians and our audiences, but the entire Pacific Northwest musical community. Since that time, the volunteer performers of OSSCS have partnered with a number of distinguished guest conductors to carry on the astounding musical legacy Shangrow created.

• Paula Rimmer, Vice-President
• Tom Dahlstrom, Secretary
• Jason Hershey, Treasurer
• Julia Akoury-Thiel
• Hilary Anderson
• Stephen Hegg
• Manchung Ho
• Allen Rickert
• Janet Young

OSSCS welcomes dynamic individuals to serve on its board. Please e-mail Laurie Medill (medill@osscs.org) or call 206-682-5208 for further information.

The Seattle Chamber Singers hold auditions each August and throughout the season as openings warrant. SCS particularly encourages tenors and basses to inquire about performance opportunities. To schedule an audition, or for further information, please e-mail Laurie Medill (medill@osscs.org). Most SCS rehearsals take place at Faith Lutheran Church, near Lake City Way, on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 p.m., with additional rehearsals scheduled during the week prior to each performance.

Orchestra Seattle holds auditions throughout the season as openings warrant. Musicians interested in performing with Orchestra Seattle should e-mail osscs@osscs.org for further information. Most Orchestra Seattle rehearsals occur at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday evenings at Eckstein Middle School in Seattle, with additional rehearsals sometimes scheduled for Sunday evenings and dress rehearsals on the Saturday morning prior to each concert.