Choral Arts New England has selected the first recipient of the David Hoose Commissioning Grant. The inaugural grant recipient is Nightingale Vocal Ensemble of Boston, Mass., for the commissioning of Strange Land, composed by Gregory W. Brown.

Strange Land is a multi-media work that includes texts by the poet Todd Hearon and etchings by Brian Cohen that were inspired by the Book of Revelation's chapters eight and nine, The music sets modern and ancient Psalms for choir, tenor soloist, and chamber ensemble augmented with electronic sounds. It will be premiered at the Boston Museum of Science's IMAX Theater on September 23, 2026.

Our 2026 grants cycle has begun! Alfred Nash Patterson Grants have been awarded continuously since 1985, and have funded nearly 350 different projects to the tune of over $450,000. The grants support choral music in New England, and can be awarded to New England choruses, both volunteer and professional; parent organizations of New England choruses; and New England organizations that provide support to choral music.

The 2026 application is available now on this website, and will be open until February 28, at which point our review process will begin.

Applications close at midnight on October 31 for the inaugural David Hoose Commissioning Grant. Don’t miss your opportunity to earn $5,000 to help bring bold, expressive choral music into the world!This grant is designed to encourage meaningful compositions that broaden the accompanied choral repertoire. If you have a commissioning project in the works, you might qualify, as long as:

Choral Arts New England’s 41st Annual Awards Ceremony will be held on Sunday, October 26, 2025 at 3 pm at First Congregational Church, Winchester, MA. Stay tuned for more information!

Choral Arts New England will begin accepting applications for the 2025 cycle of the Alfred Nash Patterson Grant on January 1, 2025. More information about this opportunity can be found here. 

Choral Arts New England held its 40th annual Awards Ceremony on Sunday, November 3, 2024, at 3:00pm at

United Parish in Brookline
15 Marion Street, Brookline, MA 02446

All are welcome to attend.

This year's ceremony honored the recipients of the 2024 Alfred Nash Patterson Awards and recognized Dr. André De Quadros with the Alfred Nash Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award for exceptional contributions to the choral arts.

2026 Alfred Nash Patterson Grant Recipients

Choral Arts New England is delighted to announce the funding of 13 project grants totaling $25,000, which exceeds our previous highest award total of $23,500 in the 2022 cycle. Award recipients represent choral organizations across New England, including from Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, and were chosen out of 42 applications.

Award recipients will be honored at our grant ceremony in the fall of 2023, and the projects are described below from excerpts of the applications. In addition, the name of the grant, if applicable, is listed next to the recipient’s name.

Congratulations to all our awardees, and please stay tuned for our next application cycle to open for 2024!