New South Festival Singers
41st Concert Season, 2025-2026
Atlanta’s Beloved A Cappella Choir
”Sensuous tonal beauty….a level of balance, blend, intonation and expressiveness that puts the average community chorus to shame…”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
”…the South’s premier a cappella choir…exceptional tone and ferocious emotion…”
The Charleston Post & Courier
“…inspiring and exhilarating.”
The (New Orleans) Times Picayune
Thomas Dixon, MM, Music Director William O. Baker, DMA Founder & Executive Director
Jamea Sale, PhD, Executive Associate Director
Sean Sweeden, DMA, Composer in Residence
Founded in 1985 by William Baker as Gwinnett Festival Singers, known from 1998 to 2015 as William Baker Festival Singers Atlanta, and in recent years as New South Festival Singers, the Choral Foundation's oldest ensemble has a rich history of artistic accomplishment. The 40-voice chorale specializes in sacred, short-form acappella classics, music of present-day composers, and spirituals from across the globe, in addition to annual performances of choral/orchestral masterworks. In addition to numerous appearances on local television programs across the South and national radio programs such as Performance Today and The Sounds of Majesty, the choir has performed at regional conventions of the American Choral Directors Association, the National Association for Music Education, and the American Guild of Organists. The Festival Singers has been a favorite of Charleston's Piccolo Spoleto Festival, performing annually to capacity audiences since 1989. The Festival Singers has over a 40-year heritage of recordings available on CD nationwide and on iTunes, YouTube, Spotify, and other digital platforms under the name William Baker Festival Singers. Their newest recording, Legacies of Light, the first under the New South Festival Singers’ name, was released in December 2023.
Following the retirement of Music Director Lynn Swanson, the Festival Singers is now led by Thomas Dixon, who will begin his tenure in the 2025-2026 season.
The Atlanta-based New South Festival Singers has performed a large body of choral/orchestral masterworks including the Requiems of Durufle, Faure, Mozart and Brahms, Bach's St. John Passion, Magnificat, Mass in B minor, and numerous chorale cantatas, Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb and Festival Te Deum, Kodaly's Laudes organi, Stravinsky's Mass and Symphony of Psalms, Mendelssohn's Elijah, and other masterworks from Tallis to Bernstein.
The New South Festival Singers is a professional-level volunteer chorale. Auditions are conducted in the spring and summer and mid-season. Openings for voice parts are based on current personnel. For additional questions, please contact Music Director, Thomas Dixon at TDixon@FestivalSingers.org.
Introit & Kyrie from the Fauré Requiem - YouTube
Communio from the Mozart Requiem - YouTube
Gardner: Healer in the House - YouTube
Lars Magnus Béen: Sköna Maj Välkommen sung in Swedish at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, Charleston, SC - YouTube
American/Lane: Amazing Grace - YouTube
Spiritual/Hogan: Music Down in My Soul - YouTube
Elder: Lullaby from Three Nocturnes - YouTube
AUDITION INFORMATION
UPCOMING CONCERTS
RECENT CONCERT PROGRAMS & CONCERT REVIEWS
MAKE A GIFT TO THE NEW SOUTH FESTIVAL SINGERS
NSFS MEMBERS ONLY REGISTRATION
