The Repertoire

At its core, the choral tradition thrives on the harmonious blend of voices singing together, unaccompanied. Genres such as madrigals, motets, anthems, and spirituals exemplify the profound beauty and power of unaccompanied choral singing. The Athena Festival joyously embraces and honors this timeless art form.

The possibilities for choirs to perform at The Athena Festival are boundless

These possibilities encompass a vast array of styles and forms of unaccompanied choral music. Whether it be contemporary close harmony, popular music, vocal jazz, plainchant, madrigals (Renaissance or English), motets from various periods, folk song arrangements, original works,  or any a cappella selection in a similar spirit or style, all are welcome for performance and adjudication toward The Athena Prize.

The recording aspect of The Athena Festival is dedicated to an annual theme celebrating a particular aspect of the historic choral canon.

For 2024, the repertoire is focused on 16th century madrigals and motets.

It is worth noting that African American spirituals will be exclusively performed at The National Museum of African American Music, and one of these pieces may also be included in The Athena Festival Concert, alongside other repertoire choices.

Let your voices soar and embrace the limitless possibilities as you prepare for The Athena Festival, where unaccompanied choral music takes center stage in a celebration of musical excellence.