The Leonids

For 30 years, Chor Leoni has combined a dedication to excellence with an ambitious focus on community engagement, all through the lens of an amateur ensemble. Our vision is to engage and enrich the world through the art of male choral singing.

Recently, our VanMan Male Choral Summit has created opportunities across all our mandates by inviting ensembles as headliners for this festival. Audiences have marveled at the exceptional artistry of these groups, and our festival participants have grown as musicians through workshops and collaborations. Yet, we have also considered the impact our own project-based, professional ensemble might have inside the mission, vision, and values of Chor Leoni. This ensemble could attract the world’s greatest singers, share and amplify our values, demonstrate the highest level of excellence, and provide an unparalleled level of education and mentorship to our singers and participants.

In this spirit, Chor Leoni is creating The Leonids, a professional TTBB chamber vocal ensemble under the direction of Artistic Director Erick Lichte. The ensemble will be composed of the world’s finest tenor, baritone, and bass ensemble singers. This ensemble will bring its wealth of professional ensemble-singing experience and talent to Chor Leoni in three ways.

The Leonids will serve as mentors for the highest levels of male choral singing, be inspirational leaders for the choral art form, and exist to be an aspirational force in the arts.

While the ensemble seeks to be the finest performing ensemble of its kind, it also exists to be a singer-centric, mission-driven project, and one that might serve as an aspirational model for other professional ensembles and singers. The Leonids will combine the finest professional ensemble singing with the deepest levels of human connection and mission-driven work. As aspirational leaders, and aligned with Chor Leoni’s vision, The Leonids will help shape and inspire singing, singers, and ensembles, and enrich audiences around the world.