For 90 years, the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir has been part of the sound of Indianapolis.
Since 1937, generations of singers have performed some of the world’s great choral works, introduced audiences to new music, and shared the stage with remarkable artists and musicians. This year, we celebrate that history with our 90th Anniversary Season: Then, Now, and Always.
This milestone arrives alongside two more worth celebrating: Artistic Director Dr. Eric Stark and Assistant Artistic Director Dr. Michael Davis are each marking 25 years with the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir.
“Reaching our 90th season gives us an opportunity to celebrate the generations of people who have made the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir what it is today,” said Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Cooper. “It also gives us a chance to welcome more people into that story. We want this season to feel like Indianapolis – rooted in tradition, open to new ideas and connected to the community around us.”
That spirit runs throughout the 2026-2027 season. Audiences will hear jazz, holiday favorites, a world premiere, and major symphonic works. The Choir will perform at the Madame Walker Legacy Center, Pike Performing Arts Centre, The Palladium, Hilbert Circle Theatre, Newfields, and the Indiana University Musical Arts Center in Bloomington, while also spending time away from the stage serving the Indianapolis community alongside our neighbors.
September: 90 Years in Indianapolis Begins With Giving Back
Community shapes the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir’s story, and our 90th season begins by putting that commitment into action. Throughout September, Sing It Forward, ISC’s annual community service initiative, will bring singers and supporters together to serve Dayspring Center, which supports families experiencing homelessness. The month of service culminates September 20 with a Community Sing at Blind Owl Brewery, bringing the wider community together through the thing ISC does best: singing.
October: Michael Davis, Mood Indigo and a Different Side of the Choir
If you think you know what an Indianapolis Symphonic Choir concert sounds like, Mood Indigo: Celebrating Musical Traditions may surprise you.
Our first concert of the season heads to the historic Madame Walker Legacy Center, offering two performances shaped by jazz, history, and the artistic voice of Dr. Michael Davis, who celebrates 25 years with ISC this season.
Mood Indigo offers audiences a different expression of the ensemble’s artistry. The concert draws from musical traditions and influences that have shaped Davis as an artist, giving audiences an opportunity to experience the Choir in repertoire that reflects his 25 years of artistic leadership.
“Jazz has always been music built around listening, responding, and creating together,” said Dr. Davis. “Those ideas have shaped the way I think about choral music and my work with the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir. Celebrating 25 years through this music, in a place with the history and significance of the Madame Walker Legacy Center, is incredibly meaningful to me.”
Both Mood Indigo performances are free with registration, opening the doors for longtime supporters and new audiences alike to experience the Choir in this setting. In honor of Davis’ 25-year milestone, concertgoers will also have the opportunity to support the Choir’s future through a special $25,000 fundraising goal.
Continue the celebration after the final Mood Indigo performance with the Jazz Soirée, an exclusive post-concert reception from 8:00–9:30 PM at the Kurt Vonnegut Museum, just across the street from the Madam Walker Legacy Center. Guests will enjoy drinks, light refreshments, and an intimate live jazz performance by acclaimed guitar duo Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo. Space is limited to 75 guests, and advance reservations are required. Season subscribers automatically receive admission as part of their subscription package.
One day. Two Indianapolis cultural landmarks. And a celebration worthy of 25 years.
December: An Indianapolis Tradition Makes Room for Something New
Special traditions that become part of a city’s rhythm. Generations of Central Indiana families can look forward to the annual Festival of Carols. This year, friends and families can expect something extra special as we celebrate Dr. Eric Stark’s 25 years of artistic leadership with the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir.
The sounds audiences love will all be there: orchestra, Spotlight Choirs, David Duncan’s beloved holiday piano improvisation, guest soprano Kim Kenny, over 100 singers, and the music that has made Festival of Carols part of the holiday season in Indianapolis – and right alongside those traditions will be music no audience has ever heard before.
Concertgoers will also hear the world premiere of “We, At Last,” a new work by Indiana-based composer Dominick DiOrio that the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir commissioned especially for its 90th season. Throughout its history, ISC has commissioned more than 30 new works, demonstrating a longstanding commitment to advancing the choral art form and bringing new music into the repertoire.
“One of the great joys of this work is watching traditions grow,” said Dr. Stark. “Audiences return each December for pieces that have become part of their own holiday traditions. This year, ISC has also commissioned a new work by Dominick DiOrio that we’ll introduce to audiences for the first time. Bringing something new into a tradition people already cherish feels especially meaningful as we celebrate 90 years.”
Festival of Carols will be presented on December 6 at Pike Performing Arts Center and on December 19 and 20 at The Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts.
January: Ecstasy and Elegance with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
The anniversary season continues in January with a return to Hilbert Circle Theatre and a collaboration with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) for Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé.
On January 29 and 30, the Choir joins the ISO for Ravel’s lush and imaginative score, originally composed for the famed Ballets Russes. Ravel’s longest and most ambitious work, Daphnis et Chloé creates a vivid musical world of romance, mythology, wood nymphs and sprites before building to its exhilarating final “Bacchanale.”
The performances offer another dimension of the Choir’s 90th season and the breadth of music its singers bring to life, this time in one of Ravel’s great orchestral works.
ISO performances are included in the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir’s full season subscription package. Individual tickets are available through the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
April: Celebrating 90 Years Through Music and Art
In April, the 90th anniversary takes on an entirely different form with Resonance: 90th Season Celebration, a one-of-a-kind fundraising experience at Newfields.
For one evening, guests will explore the museum after hours and encounter ISC singers performing intimate musical selections throughout the galleries. Inspired by art and music spanning the past 90 years, the performances will bring choral and visual art together in one of Indianapolis’ most celebrated cultural spaces.
“Resonance gives us an opportunity to celebrate 90 years in a way that feels true to where the Choir is today,” said Dr. Cooper. “We’re honoring an extraordinary artistic history while creating an experience that is fresh, engaging and perhaps unexpected. We want people to explore, listen, connect and experience choral music in a new way.”
As the signature fundraising event of the 90th season, Resonance will also support the Choir’s performances, education programs, and community engagement initiatives, extending the celebration beyond a single evening and investing in the Choir’s future.
May: Hundreds of Musicians. One Extraordinary Finale.
After a season that takes us into community organizations, a brewery, historic cultural institutions, a museum, and concert halls across Central Indiana, we end by bringing an extraordinary number of artists together.
Voices of the Spirit features Hector Berlioz’s Grande Messe des Morts (Requiem), performed by the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir alongside musicians from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and acclaimed tenor Thomas Cooley.
Berlioz conceived the Requiem for massive musical forces and scales, using chorus and orchestra (including four brass choirs spaced throughout the hall!) to create moments that move from near silence to overwhelming sound.
Audiences can experience Berlioz Requiem on April 23 at The Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel and on May 1 at the Indiana University Musical Arts Center in Bloomington.
“Berlioz wrote on an enormous scale, and you feel that from the first moments of the Requiem,” said Dr. Stark. “Closing this season alongside the musicians of the Jacobs School of Music gives us the opportunity to bring an extraordinary number of artists together for a work that demands that kind of collective energy.”
There may be no more fitting way to close our 90th season. Not with one voice, but many.
Then, Now, and Always
Ninety years represents thousands of singers, generations of audiences, artistic partnerships, beloved traditions, and a city that has given this Choir a place to grow. That history gives us something to build from.
This season, ISC will serve alongside community organizations, bring jazz to Madame Walker, pair a cherished holiday tradition with a world premiere, fill Newfields with music, and close with the extravaganza of Berlioz.
Together, these experiences reflect the values of the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir: artistic ambition, connection to our community, and the drive to explore where choral music can take us next.
Whether ISC has been part of your life for decades or this will be your first season with us, we invite you to be part of what comes next. Then, Now, and Always.
Season subscriptions are on sale through September 30, 2026, and individual tickets go on sale August 17. Explore the 90th Anniversary Season at indychoir.org.
