“Exquisite in every way” (Gramophone), The Thirteen is a professional choir and orchestra celebrated for reimagining the potential of vocal music. In our fourteen years of performing works ranging from early chant to world premieres and the centuries in between, we have gained a reputation not only for our “tight and attractive vocal blend and excellent choral discipline” (American Record Guide), but also as clarion voices for our time, “offer[ing] a vivid portrait of a nation still finding its voice” (The Washington Post). By our mission to inspire the soul to sing, move the heart to empathy, and build community through groundbreaking musical performance, we seek to humanize the stories we tell. As the chief music critic of The Washington Post wrote of our New American Songbook program in May 2025, “I wasn’t expecting to have my heart broken.”