“Full-bodied sound and suppleness”
“A long history of making excellent music”
“One of the great amateur choruses of our time”
Reviews
Sondheim Revue — February 13, 2023
“I was convinced that Dessoff Choirs, who will soon be celebrating their 100th Anniversary, was up to the challenge of bringing a fresh interpretation to such popular material [Some Enchanted Evening, The Music of Rodgers & Hammerstein]. Congratulations, and here’s to your 100 years!”
— Marcina Zaccaria, Theater Pizzazz, February 13, 2023
Full review: Web
Credo & Simon Bore the Cross Recording — April 2023
“The Dessoff Choirs and Orchestra live up to their reputation as one of New York City’s leading independent musical ensembles. Malcolm J. Merriweather, director of The Dessoff Choirs since 2016, provides stellar leadership, emphasizing the composer’s touching lyricism and warm, embracing harmonies.”
— Linda Holt, ConcertoNet, April 23, 2023
Full review: Web
“[Margaret Bonds’ Credo and Simon Bore the Cross], Beautifully performed here // The Dessoff Choirs give a nuanced and committed performance throughout and solo soprano Janinah Burnett brings terrific vibrancy to the hymn-like melody of her solo movement. // This landmark recording...”
— Kate Wakeling, BBC Music Magazine, March 21, 2023
Full review: Web
“The music [Margaret Bonds’ Credo and Simon Bore the Cross], sensitively and effectively presented by The Dessoff Choirs & Orchestra under Malcolm J. Merriweather, is by turns assertive, passionate, lyrical and hopeful…highly effective performances.”
— Infodad.com, February 16, 2023
Full review: Web
Considering Matthew Shepard - November 6, 2021
“Conductor Malcolm J. Merriweather leading the performance [of Considering Matthew Shepard] brought sweetness out of the choir while offering a dynamic reading of the score which highlighted rhythmic passages while at the same time emphasizing melody and introspection in the slower, more contemplative movements.
— Indie Opera Podcast, November 2021
Full review: Web
Fauré Requiem — October 26, 2019
“…the [Fauré] Requiem performance. One was impressed not only by the supple strength of the singing but also by the internal beauty—the choir felt this inside themselves, and one heard it in their voices.”
— New York Classical Review, October 27, 2019
Full review: Web
Messiah Sing – December 17, 2016
“If you enjoy choral music or simply want to see an up-and-coming conductor/performer with a great future, check out the Dessoff Choirs. And, if singing is even sort of your thing, consider joining the Dessoff’s 2017’s Messiah Sing. You’ll tingle down to your toes. Hallelujah!”
— Mari S. Gold, New York Arts
Full review: Web | PDF
We Remember – November 7, 2016
“A rich and rewarding evening of choral music.”
“…the chorus sang with conviction, expressivity and evident passion, confident both in themselves and in Merriweather’s leadership of them…If We Remember, as Merriweather’s first concert as Dessoff’s music director and conductor is any indication, Merriweather’s just-begun tenure bodes well for Dessoff’s future not just in New York City, where it is a regular fixture on the musical scene, but nationally and beyond as well.”
— Jean Ballard Terepka, TheatreScene.net
Full review: Web | PDF
“To say that [We Remember]… honoring President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., was outstanding is a gigantic understatement.”
“The 60-voice chorus, founded in 1924, sang as one, providing crisp endings as needed and soaring voices in other places. … It’s a tribute to all that music as varied as [Stucky’s Take Him, Earth] with contemporary dissonance and sharp transitions and the [Mozart] Requiem were handled equally well. … They’re a wonderful group, full-voiced, precise and a pleasure to hear.”
In the News
Our Town NY
Listening to His Musicians
Music director of The Dessoff Choirs, Malcolm J. Merriweather, on the art of being a conductor
By Angela Barbuti, October 3, 2022
Read: Web
The New York Times
Sunday Routine: How Malcolm Merriweather, Musical Director of the Dessoff Choirs, Spends His Sundays
By John Leland, December 11, 2016
Read: Web
Hear Me Out: The Ballad of the Brown King
By James Bennett II, February 20, 2020
Read: Web
PIX 11
#Changemakers: Malcolm J. Merriweather brings modern spin to classical music, gives back to kids in Haiti
By Tamsen Fadal and Rebecca Millman, December 5, 2016
Read and watch: Web
SneekCity.com
Breaking The Fourth Wall: Interview with choral director Malcolm Merriweather
By Tim Longo, November 25, 2016
Read: Web | PDF