Coro Allegro: Musically Distinctive; Queer-centered; Socially Conscious
In its 2025–2026 season, Coro Allegro, Boston’s LGBTQ+ and allied classical chorus, led by David Hodgkins, invites audiences into a year of bold storytelling and profound musical expression. Through three thoughtfully curated programs, from sacred texts re-imagined in organ-powered grandeur and a cappella intimacy, to the quiet voice of a young girl hidden in an attic, to psalm settings that confront injustice and affirm the possibility of peace, the season traces paths through struggle and sanctuary, bearing witness to human resilience in the face of adversity. This is music that asks us to listen to the past, to the present, and to one another.
Tickets and Subscriptions available NOW!
ETERNAL LIGHT Sunday, November 16, 2025 3PM
Church of the Covenant, Boston
Eternal Light features two monumental choral works performed with award-winning organist Jerrick Cavagnaro: Louis Vierne’s Messe solennelle and Morten Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna. Between these two pillars, Coro presents Ilyas Iliya’s Avoonan Dbishmayya, an evocative a cappella setting of the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic. Jerrick will also play Brenda Portman's Scherzo. (2023)
AND STILL THEY VANISH Sunday, March 15, 2026 3PM
First Church, Cambridge
And Still They Vanish features James Whitbourn’s Annelies, a deeply moving oratorio based on The Diary of Anne Frank, written by a Jewish teenager hiding during WWII. In a time marked by the rise of authoritarianism, unwarranted identity-based arrests, and the erosion of civil liberties, Annelies serves as both a memorial and a wake-up call. With Sonja Dutoit Tengblad as Anne.
LUMINOUS RESCUE: Psalms of Protest and Reconciliation Sunday, May 17, 2026 3PM
Church of the Covenant, Boston
Our final concert, Luminous Rescue: Psalms of Protest and Reconciliation, features three extraordinary American works: Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Charles Ives’ Psalm 90, and Patricia Van Ness’ Psalms of Luminous Rescue. Together, these settings give voice to the cry for deliverance from violence and oppression, and the hope for reconciliation in a broken world. With Jerrick Cavagnaro and Janet Stone.
Coro Allegro WE ARE HERE Album Release Party
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 Join Coro Allegro, Boston’s LGBTQ+ and allied classical chorus, as we celebrate the release of our newest album, CORO ALLEGRO: WE ARE HERE, on Friday, October 24, at The Pryde Community Center in Hyde Park. This powerful recording amplifies voices of resistance, resilience, and remembrance. It features Syrian American composer Kareem Roustom’s Rage Against the tyrant(s) and Eric Banks’ Aluta Continua: The Passion of David Kato Kisule, honoring the slain Ugandan LGBTQ+ activist. The album showcases GRAMMY®-nominated countertenor Reginald Mobley in the title role, with baritone Ronald Williams and soprano Sonja Tengblad. Enjoy refreshments and good conversation as you hear from conductor David Hodgkins and composers Kareem Roustom and Eric Banks about the long journey—spanning the pandemic—that brought this remarkable recording to life. The Pryde Community Center is fully accessible, with ample street parking and a nearby free parking lot. The commuter rail from South Station stops nearby, with conveniently timed, regular-fare trains. Full details will be provided after you register. Come celebrate this milestone with us! Ticket prices: Equity Ticket: $0 Suggested Donation: $25.00 Event Supporter: $100.00 Event Patron: $250.00 If you want to give an additional donation to Coro Allegro, that option is available at checkout. All but $25 is tax-deductible. Patrons and supporters will be acknowledged at the event.
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Inside Story: David Hodgkins on
CORO ALLEGRO: WE ARE HERE
CORO ALLEGRO: WE ARE HERE is a stirring choral album that amplifies voices of resistance, resilience, and remembrance. Featuring Kareem Roustom’s Rage Against the Tyrant(s) and Eric Banks’ Aluta Continua: The Passion of David Kato Kisule, this collection weaves together protest chants, poetry, and sacred texts to confront oppression and honor those who fight for justice.
This month Coro Allegro Artistic Director David Hodgkins is the featured artist in the Inside Story, a blog series from Navona Records exploring the inner workings and personalities of composers and performers. Read on for insight into his hopes for the Navona Records release, and the performances that have moved him the most throughout his life…
...I have always had great empathy for people that society at large has tried to marginalize, and as a musician and conductor I began to realize that I could use my talents and opportunities to help give a voice to the voiceless, and even the silenced. What that really entailed was to not just look through my own lens, but through the lenses of others, and always seek to try to understand other people’s perspectives." —David Hodgkins
JUST RELEASED!
WE ARE HERE
American Voices for International Human Rights
CORO ALLEGRO: WE ARE HERE is a stirring choral album by Boston’s LGBTQ+ and allied classical chorus that amplifies voices of resistance, resilience, and remembrance. The album features Syrian American composer Kareem Roustom’s Rage Against the tyrant(s) and Eric Banks’ Aluta Continua: The Passion of David Kato Kisule about the slain Ugandan LGBTQ+ activist, with GRAMMY®-nominated countertenor Reginald Mobley in the title role.These works by American composers, premiered by and commissioned for Coro Allegro, weave together protest chants, poetry, sacred texts, and witness testimony to confront oppression and honor those who fight for justice, here and abroad.
With performances under the direction of David Hodgkins and a constellation of guest artists, CORO ALLEGRO: WE ARE HERE on Navona Records, is a call to action, an evocative tribute to the power of music to bear witness and inspire change.
Support Coro Allegro with your purchase an audiophile download:
Visit Navona Recordings to listen, stream, or buy on other platforms:
For a track listing, texts, notes, and featured artists:
Make a Donation!
Coro Allegro produces amazing concerts, AND we are a safe and affirming environment for LGBTQ+ singers and audience members. Our organization supports the LGBTQ+ community AND creates bridges to other communities, which helps foster understanding. Please consider a gift of any amount to keep the music and community strong.
Coro Allegro Responds to Attacks on the Trans Community
Resolution of the Board of Directors of Coro Allegro passed unanimously on February 22, 2025
Coro Allegro, Boston’s LGBTQ+ and allied classical chorus, recognizes that a rising tide of discrimination and governmental attacks on trans, non-binary, and genderqueer people is causing fear and hurt in our community. We reaffirm our proud identity as an LGBTQ+ and allied organization, with great passion, commitment, and ferocity. We stand in unshakeable solidarity with our trans, non-binary, and genderqueer members and friends. Coro Allegro endeavors always to provide a sanctuary for all people regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, disability, age, sexual orientation, income, religion, educational background, and any other systemically oppressed identities.
IN THE CLEARING: Exclusive Video Interview
Coro Allegro was honored that Patrick Donnelly from The Frost Place agreed to moderate a Zoom interview with David Hodgkins, Coro's Artistic Director, and Kenneth Fuchs, the composer of IN THE CLEARING. The group discusses the circumstances and compositional techniques in the work, and includes a reading and discussion of each of the Robert Frost poems in cycle.
Letters Project
Add an open message of support for LGBTQ+ youth to this powerful letter writing campaign. At a time when rights of transgender and other LGBTQ+ youth are under attack and LGBTQ+ forms of expression are being silenced, Coro Allegro, the Boston Alliance of GLBTQ+ Youth (BAGLY) and other community partners are gathering and sharing letters from the LGBTQ+ community and allies to support queer youth and their families, with the power of our collective voices. Learn about the moving letters to transgender kids and survivors of conversion therapy that inspired us.
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Music has the power to uplift, inspire, and unite people from all walks of life. Your support makes it possible for us to share the gift of beautiful, powerful, and affirming music! Please invest in the cultural fabric of our community with a generous contribution to Coro Allegro!
In this time of uncertainly, there’s a fundamental truth that gives us hope - that together we can do extraordinary things!
About Coro Allegro
Coro Allegro is proud to be Boston's LGBTQ+ and allied classical chorus. Under the baton of Artistic Director David Hodgkins, Coro Allegro is known for award-winning programming, powerful commissions, and critically acclaimed performances and recordings of works by diverse classical and contemporary composers. Since our founding in 1990, Coro has introduced audiences to 28 world premieres, including 18 works commissioned by and for Coro Allegro, all from composers from under-represented or silenced groups—LGBTQ+, BIPOC, MENA, women and gender minorities. We offer a welcoming, affirming and supportive environment for performers and audiences alike of all sexualities, gender identities and expressions, races, ethnicities, and religions.
Experience that pride and community for yourself. Join the Coro Family of friends, allies, and members of the LGBTQ+ community as a singer, supporter, or volunteer.
