Samples from Choral Arts' Christmas program, 2012
Guitar, Bob McCaffery-Lent

Interlude 3, In The Bleak Midwinter played by classical guitarist Bob McCaffery-Lent

Samples from Choral Arts' Christmas program, 2012
Guitar, Bob McCaffery-Lent

Not One Sparrow is Forgotten, arr. William Hawley

From Choral Arts' Christmas program, 2012
Guitar, Bob McCaffery-Lent

The Little Drummer Boy, arr. John McCarthy

The Road Home, Stephen Paulus performed by Choral Arts, 3/11/11

I Will Lift Mine Eyes, Jake Runestad

AMDG God’s Grandeur, Benjamin Britten

Ave Maria, Anton Bruckner

Not One Sparrow Is Forgotten, William Hawley

Richte Mich, Gott  Op. 78, No 2, Felix Mendelssohn

From Mornings Like This, Choral Arts recording released by Gothic Recordings 2010
Robert Bode, conductor
Lee Thompson, piano

Will there really be a "Morning"?
Is there such a thing as "Day"?
Could I see it from the mountains
If I were as tall as they?

Has it feet like water-lilies?
Has it feathers like a bird?
Is it brought from famous countries
Of which I have never heard?

Oh, some scholar! Oh, some sailor!
Oh, some wise man from the skies!
Please to tell a little pilgrim
Where the place called "Morning" lies! 

Will There Really Be A  "Morning"?, Craig Hella Johnson

Always Singing: Folk Songs from Around the World
Live concert recording: May 16, 2014
Robert Bode, conductor

The very heart and soul of a culture are reflected in its folk music and in its May 16, 2014 performance, Choral Arts celebrated world folk music as interpreted by some of classical music's greatest composers. Here's a sample of some pieces.


Always Singing, Dale Warland

Choral Arts' (formerly Choral Arts Northwest) inaugural concert was performed on January 17, 1993 at First Baptist Church in Seattle. This first concert was conducted by world renowned Swedish choral conductor pedagogue, Eric Ericson (1918-2013). 

We are pleased to share two introductions by Eric Ericson and recordings from the performance.

Choral Arts (Northwest)
Conductor Richard Sparks, then Director of Choral Activities at Pacific Lutheran University and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, wanted to assemble a professional level chamber chorus capable of performing very challenging and interesting repertoire. He gathered some of the finest singers in the region for this inaugural concert.

Choral Arts' first season began the following January under the direction of Sparks.



"Aftonen," Hugo Alfven

Carol of the Angels, Eric Barnum

In the Bleak Midwinter, Choral Arts Christmas 2008

The Holly and the Ivy, arr. Reginald Jacques

From "A Scandinavian Christmas" CD 2001
Solo quartet: Stacey Sunde, Berith Ballard, Robert McCaffery-Lent, Timothy Braun.

Deilig er den himmel blaa (Danish)

Jeg er så glad hver julekveld (I Am So Glad on Christmas Eve), carol (N

From "A Scandinavian Christmas" CD 2001
Julie Johnson, soloist

Nordqvist  Jul, Jul Stralande Jul

Away in the Manger, Christmas 2003

Hear Choral Arts' live performance of this stunning new work by composer Jake Runestad in December 2014.

Let My Love Be Heard
Jake Runestad (b. 1986)
Text by Alfred Noyes (1880-1958)

Angels, where you soar up to God’s own light, 
take my own lost bird on your hearts tonight,
and as grief once more mounts to heaven and sings, 
let my love be heard…
whispering in your wings. 

Angels, where you soar, up to God, 
Let my love be heard. 


"Let My Love Be Heard"| Jake Runestad, 2014 premiere by Choral Arts NW (Seattle)

Choral Arts' 2015 performance at the National ACDA conference, Abravanel Hall, Salt Lake City, conducted by Robert Bode.

Rheinberger | Cantus Missae: Sanctus (Live)

Runestad I Will Lift Mine Eyes (Live)

Mendelssohn | Psalm 43, Op. 78 No. 2: Richte Mich, Gott (Live)

Averitt | The Deepness Of The Blue (Live)

Runestad | And So I Go On (Live)

Highlights from our May 2016 concert "Immortal Fire: Music of Barnum, Bernstein, Britten & Runestad" - recorded live, Saturday, May 14, 2016 at St. Joseph Parish, Seattle.

Gjeilo | Northern Lights (Pulchra Es)(Live)

Runestad | Live The Questions (Live)

Williams | O Guiding Night (Live)

Barnum | A Thousand Red Birds (Live)

Carol Of The Angels (CD Title Track)

Carol Of The Angels

In The Silence

Not One Sparrow Is Forgotten

There Is No Rose

September 2016 Durufle Requiem LIVE

Herbolsheimer | It Was Not You

Herbolsheimer | I am the Vine

Works by beloved local Bern Herbolsheimer that kicked off a year-long festival celebrating the late Seattle composer’s life and music by many of the choirs of Seattle. Recorded live at Plymouth Church, Seattle, on Sunday, September 26, 2016.

Herbolsheimer | Blessed (Jubilate! Young Women's Ensemble)

Herbolsheimer | Beati Quorum Via

Choral Arts Northwest is comprised of volunteer singers drawn exclusively from the Seattle region who combine a deep sense of community with a degree of artistic excellence that has garnered national recognition and critical acclaim.

Led by Robert Bode, the group has won the Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence (2010); and the American Prize for choral performance (community division) twice, placing first in 2010 and second in 2013. The group has also been awarded coveted performing slots at the 2015 ACDA National Conference, the 2013 Chorus America National Conference, and the 2010 ACDA Regional Conference.

In the past decade, CANW has commissioned over twenty new choral works by American composers, and currently has seven commercially-released recordings under the Gothic record label.

Popular tracks by Choral Arts Northwest