Tammen closes Chicago Chorale tenure with serenity and celebration
Bruce Tammen, founder and artistic director of the Chicago Chorale, wrapped his 24-year tenure, not with cataclysmic musical drama, but on a note of celebration and spiritual serenity.
Entering the church walking down the center aisle with the aid of a cane, Tammen received an immediate standing ovation by the large assemblage of music fans, friends and supporters Sunday afternoon at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Hyde Park. After a brief speech expressing his gratitude to his singers and the audience for their support over the past 2-1/2 decades, Tammen turned and quickly got down to business with the music.
Tammen chose Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem as the main work for his farewell concert. Not for Fauré, the operatic drama of Verdi’s Requiem setting or Berlioz’s grandiose apocalypse. Instead, as the French composer put it, “My Requiem expresses not so much the fear of death but the peacefulness of eternal rest. For this is how I see death—as a happy deliverance and an aspiration to higher joys, not a joyless transition to some ominous unknown.”
Sunday’s performance contained all the qualities that Tammen’s best outings with the Chorale have displayed over the years: respect for the score, a firm rhythmic foundation, distinctly delineated choral sections, and a rock-ribbed musical integrity.
From the imposing opening organ chord—Jacob Reed excellent at the console throughout—Tammen led a flowing and sensitive performance that conveyed the peace and consolation of Fauré’s music while ensuring the contrasting moments (as in the abbreviated Dies Irae) made full impact.
The ensemble singing lacked the refined corporate polish of the best professional ensembles with the tenor section sounding undernourished at times. Yet the Chorale sang with unfailing energy, cohesion and dedication for their outgoing director on what was clearly a special occasion.
The mezzos brought affecting and plaintive expression to the opening of the Offertory, and the brief Sanctus with its running harp accompaniment (well played by Lillian Lau) conveyed the cool luminosity of the music. The entire ensemble was at its best in the Agnus Dei, bringing great warmth of expression, and the sopranos contributed apt angelic vocalism to the concluding In Paradisum.
Of the two soloists, baritone John Zadlo needed more robust vocal presence in the Offertory but brought somewhat stronger projection to the Libera Me. Soprano Emma Kuehl was a capable soloist in the Pie Jesu.
One has only infrequently had the opportunity to experience Tammen conducting an orchestra over the years. In this role, he was most impressive, drawing boldly colored and incisive playing from the excellent Metropolis Chamber Orchestra (largely made up of Haymarket Opera musicians).
The Requiem was preceded by shorter a cappella works. In addition to gracefully setting the stage for the main event, they also provided a sampler of the richly varied and intelligent mix of music that Tammen has consistently programmed during his tenure.
Despite the large numbers, Tammen managed to elicit admirable clarity and light buoyancy in Heinrich Schütz’s setting of Psalm 126 “Die mit Tränen säen.” The singers brought out the rich, flowing beauty of the long-lined Kyrie from Josef Rheinberger’s Cantus Missae.
Three 20th-century works showed the stylistic versatility that Tammen instilled in his singers. The Chorale conveyed the monastic purity of John Tavener’s The Lamb as surely as the stark angularity of the Sanctus from Johann Nepomuk David’s Deutsche Messe, and the soaring Slavic richness of the “Our Father” by composer-conductor Nikolai Golovanov.
The Chicago Chorale will be led by three finalists for the position of artistic director in the 2026-27 season. Benjamin Rivera opens the season November 15 with a program TBD. chicagochorale.org
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4 Responses to “Tammen closes Chicago Chorale tenure with serenity and celebration”
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Posted Jun 01, 2026 at 1:29 pm by Bruce Tammen
Many thanks for your support and acute listening over these many years.
Posted Jun 01, 2026 at 2:10 pm by Lawrence A. Johnson
Thanks, Bruce!
All best for a restful yet musically rich retirement!
Posted Jun 02, 2026 at 8:56 am by Ronald G Burrichter
Congratulations on your distinguished career, Bruce. Enjoy your retirement. It was always a pleasure and an honor to make music with you.
Posted Jun 02, 2026 at 11:23 am by Mark Hatlen
Bruce, congratulations on your grand finale with the chorus. I wish I could have been there to appreciate your gift to Chicago!
Mark