Taking chorus in unheard-of directions

Donald Nally, 50, founded the Crossing, an unusual, fully professional chamber choir in Philadelphia, in 2005. The acclaimed group cultivates composers who take choral singing in totally unheard-of directions. In its June festival in Chestnut Hill, the Crossing will perform four world premieres, along with works written in the last 15 years. Inquirer music critic David Patrick Stearns spoke with Nally, who is moving back to Philadelphia to work more closely with his creation.

Question: You're leaving your position as chorus master at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Though you were preparing choruses for performances that others would conduct, the Chicago job was among the best of its kind. Why are you returning to Philadelphia?

Donald Nally: Carmen is a great opera, but seven or eight times is enough. I don't need to do another one of those. I love doing a variety of things, and I want to have more control over my own repertoire. I'm doing what I want to do. The Crossing isn't going to pay me a living. Maybe someday. Maybe it'll close its doors after a few seasons.

Q: That's not likely as long as the Philadelphia Music Project is giving you grants up to $70,000, which it did for your 2013 season. How will you use it?

Nally: We're pinching ourselves to see if we're still alive! The project is named the Gulf Between You and Me. It's taking the Gulf of Mexico oil-spill tragedy, but also drawing parallels between our inability to communicate with each other and listen to what the Earth is telling us. So the gap between us and a healthy Earth just gets larger and larger.

Q: That's a heady concept - but then all of your festivals have them.

Nally: I don't want to sound like we're trying to educate anybody. I'm not interested in producing art that challenges the audience. We're strictly about singing the best music that's being written today and hopefully commissioning some of it.

Q: The ancient Roman philosopher and playwright Seneca is the theme of your 2011 festival. What relevance does he have to us?