Artistic Director Gretchen Kuhrmann is the founder and visionary of Choralis. A true advocate for choral music in all schools and communities, she has spent her career honing choral ensembles into musically sensitive performers and encouraging young singers to develop their skills.

The daughter of a diplomat, Ms Kuhrmann has traveled and lived around the world, including an extended stay in Hamburg, Germany, where she spent her formative years. Before leaving Europe, she toured and performed with her own ensemble throughout Western Europe. In addition to being a sought-after conducting and choral clinician, Ms Kuhrmann has shown great success with building choral organizations and is in demand as a speaker and consultant on the topic at choral conventions and workshops around the world.

Audiences and critics alike have recognized Choralis for its musical excellence. Ms Kuhrmann’s detailed preparation and skillful conducting have earned Choralis ensembles acclaim throughout the United States and Europe. Critics observed ‘Kuhrmann has trained this big group to sing with the delicacy and transparency of a chamber chorus, and it does this very well’ and ‘conductor Gretchen Kuhrmann drew a clear and beautifully blended sound from the group, which was maintained when the music pulled down to only a handful of voices’ (The Washington Post).

Choralis and Cantus Primo have been selected as featured performing ensembles for the Chorus America national conference. Ensembles under Ms Kuhrmann’s direction have also been invited to perform for both ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) and VMEA (Virginia Music Educators Association) conventions.

Ms Kuhrmann has prepared choruses for many notable conductors as well as numerous diplomatic and political events. She is the director of music for Fairfax Presbyterian Church and holds performance degrees in conducting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and George Mason University.