“Awesome in the most literal sense of the word.”
“Word of mouth was that something special was about to occur, and the rumors were correct. Director Emily Isaacson has made every program by the Chorale an outstanding event”
““The music...sparkled.”
“The Oratorio Chorale under Emily Isaacson…as enough to make one want to go to church every Sunday in the year. Pure joy.”
“The performance of the requiem by the Oratorio Chorale, under the direction of Emily Isaacson, was one of the most moving musical events of the decade.”
“After the final note, and a long standing ovation, the audience didn’t want to go home.” — Maine Classical Beat
“Isaacson’s interpretation was superb. I have not heard it done better.”
“The Oratorio Chorale is fast becoming the most sought-after ticket in the Mid-coast.”
Reviews
Monteverdi Vespers of 1610: “The piece was deeply moving. This reporter has been reviewing the work of the Oratorio Chorale for more than 15 years, and would have to say that this concert represented the best of the Oratorio Chorale. The soloists were supremely gifted; the period musicians were excellent; the choir was in the best form I have ever heard them. As director Emily Isaacson moves out of her comfort zone into more and more challenging work, it is gratifying to watch her chorale move with her joyfully and masterfully. She trusts them to perform under pressure, and they never seem to falter.” - Gina Hamilton, Wiscasset Newspaper
Monteverdi Vespers of 1610: “Emily Isaacson, artistic director of the Oratorio Chorale, is attracting quite a following. On Sunday afternoon, the huge parking lot of St. John the Baptist Church in Brunswick was completely full, and its cavernous interior also.” - Christopher Hyde, Maine Classical Beat
Portland Bach Experience: Bachanalia: A Portland Bach Experience “You don't need to go to all of them, but if you bump into Emily, you may... Really, her passion is that contagious. - Nate Eldridge, 207 Channel WCSH6
Portland Bach Experience: “[Isaacson] let the string melody sing.... and her brisk readings of the dance movements...were vigorous, tightly unified and carefully accented. The Orchestral Suite offered a good opportunity to focus on the new ensemble, which seems admirably experienced in the niceties of Baroque performance practice... the trumpet trio commanded the attention in the opening movement, and at various points in the work where Bach wanted to evoke the glory and power of heaven, the choir produced a lovely, flexible sound.” - Allan Kozinn, Portland Press Herald
Portland Bach Experience: How a Maine Conductor is Bringing Bach "Back to its Natural Habitat" “Isaacson sees the festival as a celebration of the music of the Baroque era in traditional and progressive formats, to help listeners 'bridge the musical traditions of the past with the experience of the 21st century.” - Bob Keyes, MAINE TODAY
Handel Messiah: “Without exception, its singing was solid, tight and texturally transparent, and whether Handel demanded vigor or introspection, the choir delivered it with admirable precision. And the orchestra, though playing modern instruments, produced a tight, focused sound that had the incisive edge of a period instrument group.” - Allan Kozinn, Portland Press Herald
Amazing Grace: “Other ensembles in Maine – or anywhere, really – should take note of this program…There isn’t an ensemble in Portland – or anywhere, really – that couldn’t re-energize itself, and its audience, by periodically jettisoning the supposed rules of classical concert presenting, and offering programs as inventive, enlightening and moving as this one.” - Allan Kozinn, Portland Press Herald
Amazing Grace: As usual with Isaacson’s innovative ideas, this one worked perfectly
Amazing Grace: Its kind of Rooted in Race: Concert tell story of America Using Spirituals
Amazing Grace: Amazing Grace: the full panoply of human creative endeavor One of the finest things about the Oratorio Chorale... is the movement from classical music as a spectator sport to a fully participatory activity for musicians, singers and the audience….the Oratorio Chorale has done this every year since Isaacson’s inaugural. It’s not just music, it’s the full panoply of human creative endeavor. And it’s what the Oratorio Chorale does best.
The Oratorio Chorale's Young Artist Program
Baroque Beauties: Chamber choir hits high note in sacred works for women’s voices
Bach+: Oratorio Chorale gives Bach star billing, but Schütz holds his own. The lasting impression was Isaacson’s thoughtful phrasing, and the fluidity she brought to the motet as a whole
Sing We Noel: Oratorio Chorale sings Noel Somehow, the roads were better on the way home, and the fellow travelers less hurried, everyone less focused on the work to be done to get through Christmas, and more thoughtful about the possibilities of something deeper and more meaningful arising from the season at the darkest hour of the year.
February 2016: Performing Arts in Maine
Best of Bach with the Oratorio Chorale
Sing We Noel: Oratorio Chorale sings ‘Noel’
Mozart Requiem: Oratorio Chorale’s Requiem a Work in Flight
Brahms Requiem: Oratorio Chorale delivers requiem with power, sweetness
Brahms Requiem: Oratorio Chorale’s ‘German Requiem’
Shakespeare in Concert: Oratorio Chorale celebrates Shakespeare with fine performance
Shakespeare in Concert: Oratorio Chorale stages a spectacle
Musical Fireworks: Oratorio Chorale’s ‘Musical Fireworks’