About this Event
The Arlington Chorale with the Tunisia88 Alumni Choir
Sunday, May 17, 2026 | 19:30 PM
Free Admission
This concert takes place at St. George's Anglican Church, Tunis, on 17 May 2026 at 19:30, and features a special collaboration with The Arlington Chorale, under the direction of Dr. Ingrid Lestrud and the Tunisia88 Choir. Together, these ensembles offer an inspiring program that celebrates international friendship, artistic exchange, and the shared language of choral music.
The Arlington Chorale, under the direction of Dr. Ingrid Lestrud, brings to Italy and Tunisia a vibrant program of contemporary choral music centered on hope, compassion, resilience, and human connection. Featuring works by Melanie DeMore, Dominick DiOrio, Jake Runestad, Jocelyn Hagen, Selima Terras, Reena Esmail, Moses Hogan, and Christopher Tin, the program offers a rich and uplifting musical journey across diverse voices and traditions.
An auditioned, multi-generational chorus drawing singers from across Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland, the Arlington Chorale is celebrated for artistic excellence, meaningful community engagement, and a strong commitment to new music. Under Dr. Lestrud’s leadership, the ensemble has earned recognition for connecting choral music with service, collaboration, and cultural exchange, making this tour a compelling expression of music’s power to unite people across borders.
Ce concert a lieu à l’église anglicane St. George’s, à Tunis, le 17 mai 2026 à 19h30, et présente une collaboration spéciale avec The Arlington Chorale, sous la direction de la Dre Ingrid Lestrud, ainsi que le Tunisia88 Choir. Ensemble, ces ensembles proposent un programme inspirant qui célèbre l’amitié internationale, les échanges artistiques et le langage universel de la musique chorale.
The Arlington Chorale, sous la direction de la Dre Ingrid Lestrud, apporte en Italie et en Tunisie un programme dynamique de musique chorale contemporaine centré sur l’espoir, la compassion, la résilience et la connexion humaine. Avec des œuvres de Melanie DeMore, Dominick DiOrio, Jake Runestad, Jocelyn Hagen, Selima Terras, Reena Esmail, Moses Hogan et Christopher Tin, le programme offre un voyage musical riche et inspirant à travers des voix et des traditions diverses.
Chœur auditionné et intergénérationnel, réunissant des chanteurs de Virginie, de Washington, D.C., et du Maryland, The Arlington Chorale est reconnu pour son excellence artistique, son engagement communautaire significatif et son fort attachement à la musique contemporaine. Sous la direction de la Dre Lestrud, l’ensemble a été salué pour sa capacité à relier la musique chorale au service, à la collaboration et aux échanges culturels, faisant de cette tournée une expression forte du pouvoir de la musique à unir les peuples au-delà des frontières.
THE ARLINGTON CHORALE REPERTOIRE:
"Blessed Be!" | Melanie DeMore
"We Reply" | Dominick DiOrio
"Paper Boats" | Jake Runestad
"Sleep Now, My Love" | Ashi Day
"In a Sad Time, What Do I Desire?" | Jocelyn Hagen (TAC commission)
"Zaytouna" | Selima Terras (Tunisia88 alumnus)
"Hope" | Ysaye Barnwell
"Take What You Need" | Reena Esmail
"How Can I Keep from Singing" | Gwyneth Walker
"Music Down in My Soul" | Moses Hogan
"Look Out Above" | Hagen and Dessa
"Baba Yetu" | Christopher Tin
ABOUT THE ARLINGTON CHORALE
The Arlington Chorale is a vibrant, multi-generational, auditioned chorus featuring talented singers from Virginia, D.C., and Maryland. Members come from a diverse range of professions and musical backgrounds, fostering strong connections with each other through musical rehearsals and lively social events. They perform a diverse repertoire that includes well-known masterpieces by composers such as Haydn, Mozart, and Brahms, alongside contemporary works that address pressing societal issues.
Committed to supporting living composers, the Chorale has recently begun commissioning new works that resonate with the community partnerships they have established with local non-profits. Their youth ensemble, Performers with Purpose (PWP), empowers young singers aged 11-18 to engage with community organizations, emphasizing service through choral music. In 2024, the Chorale was honored to receive the Greater Washington D.C. Choral Excellence “Ovation” Award for Exemplary Community Engagement, recognizing their dedication to connecting with their community through music.
Founded in 1966 as The Metropolitan Chorus, the Chorale continues to present ambitious programming, rehearsing and performing primarily in Arlington. Through choral singing, they build community, providing a space for members to work toward a shared artistic vision as they create, connect, and sing together.
To learn more about The Arlington Chorale, visit https://www.arlingtonchorale.org/.
DR. INGRID LESTRUD, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Ingrid Lestrud enjoys an active career as a conductor and educator. Drawn to music and singing at an early age, she studied vocal performance as an undergraduate and discovered a passion for conducting choral and orchestral music. She went on to study orchestral conducting at the graduate level, eventually completing her Doctor of Music degree at Northwestern University, where she studied with Victor Yampolsky. While living in Chicago, Dr. Lestrud sang with the Chicago Symphony Chorus for several seasons under the baton of Riccardo Muti, performing in the Grammy award-winning recording of Verdi’s Requiem. She spent three years as the Voice Department Chair of the Merit School of Music, a community music school that serves over six thousand students with a focus on underserved communities. Collaborating with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, she worked with Renée Fleming to develop curriculum for Merit’s Solo Voice Program, and her choir performed for and with Ms. Fleming for special events.
Dr. Lestrud has served on the faculty of several colleges in the midwest and on the east coast, leading both choral and orchestral programs. In 2022, she won the Mid-Atlantic Teaching Artists Innovate + Create contest for her work with Performers With Purpose, a youth ensemble she founded that combines music with service projects for the community. In 2024, she founded Vivace Children’s Chorus, a music education program that provides high quality vocal training to children in Montgomery County, MD. Formerly a Principal Associate Conductor of the Grammy award-winning National Children’s Chorus, she has worked with some of the finest young singers in the nation, preparing them for concerts at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the Kennedy Center.
Dr. Lestrud currently serves as the Artistic Director of the Arlington Chorale, an auditioned volunteer chorus in Arlington, VA that performs well-known masterpieces and compelling new works. Through her leadership, the Chorale has successfully formed several collaborations and partnerships with non-profits not affiliated with the arts, allowing the Chorale to reach new demographics in the community and show local residents how choral music can connect to many social issues. She believes that these connections help audiences to better understand the relevance of choral music to their community, making a difference in the way they experience and appreciate choral music.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Saint George's Anglican Church, 198 Rue Mongi Slim, Tunis, Tunisia
USD 0.00
