Vocal Soloists of Washington

Vocal Soloists was formed in 2003 by a group of musical artists in the Washington, DC area. We are a performing ensemble dedicated to celebrating and expanding appreciation for the richness, diversity and joy of song and the poetry on which it is based. Our repertoire concentrates upon ensemble settings of song, particularly duets, trios and quartets of lieder and art song. We perform songs by composers from throughout the world, but have a special interest in compositions by American composers.

Among our concert programs have been:

American Song explored the diversity of songs by such American composers as Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Foster and Jerome Kern.

Tales and Traditions featured song literature based on folk music and folk themes, and included Dvorak’s Moravian Duets, Shostakovich’s From Jewish Folk Poetry, Beethoven’s folk song settings for voice and piano trio, and Robert Schumann’s Spanisches Liederspiel.

Poets of Song presented songs set to the poetry of Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship, A.E. Housman, Walt Whitman and Dorothy Parker. Composers represented included Hugo Wolf, Franz Schubert, George Butterworth, Ralph Vaughn Williams and John Greer.

Songs of Love featured Brahms’ Neue Liebeslieder Waltzes, selections from Rossini’s Soirées Musicales and songs of Harold Arlen in recognition of his birthday centennial in 2005.