Columbia Collegiate Chorale

The Columbia Collegiate Chorale is the large choir of Columbia Union College. It draws its membership from the student body of the college and includes both music and non-music majors. Under the direction of Dr. James Bingham, the choir has undertaken a heavy schedule of services and concerts, traveling extensively both nationally and internationally. It has appeared numerous times at Carnegie Hall in New York, and it was selected to representing the United States of America at the 1995 Jerash International Festival, sponsored by Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan. In the summer of 1997, the choir toured Australia, where it received extraordinary acclaim. In the spring of 2000, the choir toured Spain, France, Italy and Switzerland, and this summer sees the choir in Australia once again.

The choir has released a number of records, two of which were released under Ethereal Records label and are currently available. The first features Louis Vierne's, Messe Sollenelle in c- sharp minor, and the second is a Christmas recording, O Jesus Sweet: Music for a Christmas night. It has also produced another recording, also under the Ethereal label, in collaboration with the Spencerville Sanctuary Choir: James Bingham's, Requiem.

Joseph McLellan, Chief music critic of the Washington Post, wrote the following in his critique of the National Gallery of Art concert given by the Chorale:

"Columbia Union College in Takoma Park is far from the largest or best-known colleges in the Washington area, but it has an excellent music program and a chorus… that is notable for its quality even in a metropolitan region overloaded with fine choruses…[Its repertoire] was imaginative in its choice…and polished in its performance."