Nathaniel Dett Chorale, The

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The Nathaniel Dett Chorale is a 21-voice SATB professional choir based in Toronto, dedicated to performing Afrocentric music of all genres, including classical, spiritual, gospel, jazz, folk and blues. Founded by artistic director Dr. D. Brainerd Blyden-Taylor in 1998, The Nathaniel Dett Chorale is Canada’s premier performer of Afrocentric composers and a touchstone for the education of audiences and communities regarding the full spectrum of Afrocentric choral music. The mission of the Nathaniel Dett Chorale is to build bridges of understanding, appreciation and acceptance between communities of people through the medium of music. The Chorale has a Toronto concert season, tours extensively each season and has released several CDs and DVDs.

The Nathaniel Dett Chorale is artist-in-residence at the Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on Africa and its Diasporas at York University. Membership is by audition. The 2019/20 season will include Great Joy II: Around the World - a jazz/gospel Christmas; the opera Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed That Line to Freedom by American composer Nkeiru Okoye; the premiere of God’s Trombones - a song cycle by the Canadian pianist and composer Stewart Goodyear; and collaborations with local choirs.