The second half of the 20th-century saw a great blossoming of choral singing in America, from the emergence of the great choral singing schools to increased professionalism in church music programs and the founding of major professional choral groups and associations. One result of this overall rise in choral excellence was an expansion to the body of sophisticated, secular art-music for choruses as American composers responded to the increasingly skilled, nonreligious choral ensembles practicing the craft. This recording, expertly performed by the Washington Master Chorale, offers some of the best of this art-music. Founded in 2010, the Washington Master Chorale is a semi-professional chorus in Washington, D.C., conducted by Thomas Colohan. Their purpose is to advance American choral excellence by combining skilled vocal artistry with superb poetic choral literature; to contribute to the choral canon through commissioning leading American composers and to present choral works in the context of their culture and time.