The Arts District Chorale (ADC) was originally founded as The Cathedral Chorale and established residency at Cathedral Guadalupe in 1989. The Chorale’s presence at the Cathedral through the 1990s, distinguished by our desire for excellence in repertoire and performance, helped to redefine the historic church’s role in the great medieval tradition of being a center for arts, culture, and community. This tradition endowed the Chorale with a powerful desire to reach out and collaborate with other artistic organizations. Indeed, our Cathedral roots and the partnerships that have arisen throughout our history are the foundation of the Chorale’s identity and mission.

In 2001, The Cathedral Chorale was renamed Arts District Chorale and incorporated as an independent, not-for-profit 501(c)3 corporation. The name change reflected our growing prestige and expanded mission, as well as our desire to establish unique relationships with the downtown arts community, particularly in the Arts District.

Today the Arts District Chorale (ADC) is a signature, vocal ensemble of 80 voices. Its membership encompasses a diverse group of amateur and professional musicians from all walks of life — from marketing directors, software designers and CPAs, to attorneys, engineers, artists, and writers. Our common bond is a passion for the choral art as an essential ingredient of life and a willingness to share it with the community at the highest level of performance. We promote choral excellence through artistic performance in a variety of downtown venues — particularly those within the Dallas Arts District. Moreover, we strongly believe artistic collaboration increases the scope of the artistic experience for everyone involved: audience, artists, and arts organizations. We seek to strengthen partnerships around institutions unique to the Dallas Arts District, resulting in experiences that could only take place in Dallas. Thus we form a unique bond with the community who are exposed to venues in the Arts District in new and exciting ways while enjoying the music of ADC.

As the Arts District continues to experience spectacular change and growth, it reflects the diverse demand on the part of many community, arts, and commercial interests for volunteer choral musical expression. The Arts District Chorale performed on seventeen occasions during the 2007-2008 season including performances at Cathedral Guadalupe, the Crow Collection of Asian Arts, Dallas Museum of Art, and Nasher Sculpture Center. Most recently the Chorale was invited to sing for the inauguration of The Brinker International Forum — the first public ticketed event for the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts. In the spring of 2009 the Arts District Chorale will be featured along with the Dallas Symphony, the Dallas Opera, Dallas Black Dance Theater, and Texas Ballet Theater as part of the Nasher Performing Arts Series: A Salute to the Dallas Arts District.