We accomplish our mission by:

• providing our diverse membership of volunteer singers with joy-filled rehearsal and exhilarating performance experiences that expand their musical abilities, build community and richly contribute to the cultural life of Queens,

• offering opportunities for local high school and college students to learn music theory, voice production, stage presence and civic responsibility by attending rehearsals and performing with the chorus, professional soloists and orchestra,

• presenting Holiday and Spring concerts which are widely-recognized as the premiere choice for audiences who want to hear excellent choral music in Queens.

The world should be more like a chorus, and the Oratorio Society of Queens is a good place to start.

Everyone in our chorus has a voice that is heard. OSQ is a safe space where all are welcomed – where we respect and care for each other at rehearsals and throughout the year.
If the world were more like OSQ, it would be a more joyous, harmonious and collaborative place. The doors of the Oratorio Society of Queens are open to all who wish to share our vision and join us in a welcoming and affirming environment where we create a beautiful sound with all voices united in spirit and song.

More About Us

The chorus was founded in 1927 as the Oratorio Society of Flushing. In 1985 our name changed to the Oratorio Society of Queens (OSQ) in recognition of membership deriving from all parts of Queens. The entire Borough had learned that you did not need to travel to Manhattan to hear great choral music!

OSQ’s reputation for near professional sound and attitude has garnered the respect of all who have heard us. Our chorus roster includes active and retired educators, lawyers, health professionals, engineers, homemakers, secretaries, writers, librarians, artists, and actors. Comprised of mostly amateur singers, the chorus is trained by our Artistic Director & Conductor to achieve excellence. The choral music programs are designed to appeal to a wide range of musical tastes. Each spring, OSQ presents one of the great choral works such as Mozart’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Ode to Joy and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, but we also sing American folk songs, spirituals, and show tunes. In December, the Holiday Concert features selections from Handel’s Messiah and lots of familiar carols and holiday songs. OSQ has performed at many Queens venues, including Queensborough Community College, St. Kevin’s RC Church, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs RC Church, St. Andrew Avellino Church, the Reformed Temple of Forest Hills, Trinity Lutheran Church, Christ the King High School, Flushing Meadows Corona Park under the Unisphere, the Seuffert Bandshell in Forest Park, Bayside High School and Colden Center at Queens College. The Oratorio Society performed at the 1940 World’s Fair and in later years at Lincoln Center. For its 50th anniversary, Queens Symphony and OSQ performed Verdi’s Requiem at Queensborough Community College. OSQ, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable corporation, is a remarkable community organization which has survived and prospered through adversity and change. OSQ is alive and well because of the dedication of its members, friends and audiences and their continued financial support. To read more about the history of OSQ go to OSQ History & Archives