Washington Men’s Camerata Brings Singing & Arts to Breweries & Historic Locations Around DMV Area
August 1, 2025 (Washington, DC) – Washington Men’s Camerata announces a 2025-2026 concert season at venues entirely new to the chorus, aiming to reach new, broader audiences and incorporating multidisciplinary art elements. From joining two chamber music series to self-producing six concerts and educational partnerships, the nonprofit organization is spanning DC, Maryland, and Virginia. With 60 singers ranging in age from their 20s to 80s, the group is expanding its programming at a time when arts budgets are being drastically slashed despite the essential value of the arts to well-being and quality of life.
Artistic Director Scott Tucker says, “I’ve been directing choruses for five decades now. I’ve seen the act of singing change lives for the better, and even save some. I’ve seen countless audience members tear up when they hear just the right sound at just the right moment. I’ve been privileged to witness the power of music and to know it for myself. With funding cuts, the free expression of music is under threat at a time when we need it the most.”
Chorus singer Mike Crump says, “Being able to set troubles aside for just a few hours each week and focus on creating music within this supportive community has revitalized my sense of self.”
Pianist Grace Cho joins the team this season, which starts with the Camerata recording music for the first time since 2009 when they released their sixth commercial album. Songs from recent performances will be recorded at Blue House Productions in Kensington, MD and distributed on streaming platforms.
December brings Christmas concerts with their robust voices ringing with the warmth of the holiday spirit. From chant to spirituals, cantatas to carols–music from across the centuries, celebrating the season of joy, love, and giving. Theatrical lighting and guest instrumentalists amplify the music December 13 at 7:30pm at St. Peter’s Church on Capitol Hill (suggested donation $35), and December 14 at 3pm at St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Silver Spring, Maryland (tickets $35, students free). Managing Director Jonathon Hampton says, “Southeast DC and Montgomery County, Maryland are some of the most diverse areas in the country, with long-standing appreciation for the arts, so we want to welcome them into our choral circle and are excited to expand into those arts communities.”
Education being a crucial value of the Camerata, creating a pipeline for the next generation of tenors and basses is a priority. All their concerts are free for students, and they include annual partnerships with youth choruses. February 21 they join a festival of young voices hosted by Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland and conductor Mark Wu. His Strathmore Youth Chorus, plus Whitman High School, Pyle Middle School, and clinician Stephen Holmes of Maryland State Boy Choir all come together for this regional workshop. The Camerata also continues its collaboration with the Young Men’s Ensemble of the Children’s Chorus of Washington, which includes combined rehearsals and concert.
With camaraderie at the core of their ensemble, the Camerata performs (responsible) drinking songs in March. Their concert entitled Cheers! includes sea chanties, glees, opera choruses, folk songs, and more from across time and culture. Atlas Brew Works, with a mission to simply bring people together over delicious craft beer, hosts a short preview performance March 8 at 4pm at their Alexandria taproom. Right Proper Brewing Company hosts at its brewpub in DC’s Shaw area, on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17 at 7:30pm The family-owned brewery is committed to creating a brand and community space for people who call DC home; a gathering place for the community that evokes conversation with good music and art-lined walls. Supporting local business and the nonprofit that is the Camerata, these free performances are sure to fill seats and bellies. Suggested donation $10.
March 21 at 7:30pm, the Camerata dons their tuxedoes for a more formal, full concert rendition of libationary songs at The First Baptist Church of the City of Washington, DC. This, the new home of the chorus, has become a center for music in the center of the District, between the Dupont Circle and Logan Circle neighborhoods. A new addition to Camerata concerts has been poetry readings, garnering submissions from as far as California. This year’s call for artists aims to present local writers in person.
Also in Northwest DC, The Westchester, a historic complex of co-operative apartments, hosts the Camerata March 23 as part of their monthly concert series showcasing local talent. Built in 1931, this grand residence presents an array of soloists and small ensembles in a self-produced concert series that’s a highlight for its residents. Look to find the Camerata singing at civic and sporting events, from caroling to singing the National Anthem.
May 31 at 7:30pm, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the choir presents This Is America! examining all aspects of the US music from the past 250 years, with sacred music in gospel, jazz, and classical forms. Rendering that history visually will be a live painter, interpreting the performance onto a giant canvas in front of the audience’s eyes. St. Ann Catholic Church, in DC’s Tenleytown, hosts as part of their beloved concert series, free with a $35 suggested donation.
This concert season is pivotal to the organization, which just passed the 40 year mark and looks to continue improving and expanding, with a vision to be the most accomplished and sought-after men’s chorus in the country. Washington Men’s Camerata celebrates the unique beauty and power of men’s choral music by consistently pursuing artistic excellence; expanding the breadth of its music, membership, and audiences; and building community among its members and friends. Learn more, get tickets, and support at camerata.com.
Christmas with the Camerata
Sat, 12/13/25 at 7:30pm • St. Peter’s Church on Capitol Hill, 313 2nd St SE, Washington, DC • suggested donation $35
Sun, 12/14/25 at 3pm • St. Bernadette Catholic Church, 70 University Blvd E, Silver Spring, MD • $0-$35
Cheers!
Sun, 3/8/26 at 4pm • Atlas Brew Works, 2429 Mandeville Ln, Alexandria, VA • suggested donation $10
Tue, 3/17/26 at 7:30pm • Right Proper Brewing Company, 624 T St NW, Washington, DC • suggested donation $10
Sat, 3/21/26 at 7:30pm • The First Baptist Church of the City of Washington, DC, 1328 16th St NW, Washington, DC • $0-$35
This Is America!
Sun, 5/31/26 at 7:30pm • St. Ann Catholic Church, 4001 Yuma Street NW, Washington, DC • suggested donation $35
ABOUT WASHINGTON MEN’S CAMERATA
Washington Men's Camerata, directed by Scott Tucker, is DC's premier chorus performing, promoting, and preserving diverse tenor and bass choral music and camaraderie since 1984. The Camerata has sung at The Kennedy Center, The White House, Capital One Arena, Smithsonian institutions, National Gallery of Art, Wolf Trap, Strathmore, and across the region; alongside National Symphony Orchestra, The U.S. Army Chorus, Washington Symphonic Brass, Mark Morris Dance Group, Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia, and on NPR, PBS, and SiriusXM. The Camerata has recorded six albums and the Washington Commanders fight song. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the organization regularly commissions and premieres pieces that become part of their national lending library of sheet music, The Demetrius Project, with over 200,000 scores of 3,300 works.
CONTACT
Jonathon Hampton, Managing Director, hampton@camerata.com, 202-364-1064
camerata.com
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