The choral director Alan Harler has died.

Harler served as music director of Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia from 1988 to 2015. (The group, founded in 1874, was rebranded Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia in 2020.) Harler was named the organization’s artistic director in 2009. For 30 years, he also served as Chairman of Choral Music at Temple University’s Esther Boyer College of Music.

He commissioned and gave first performances of more than 50 new works, including Charles Fussell’s “High Bridge,” Jennifer Higdon’s “On the Death of the Righteous,” David Lang’s “battle hymns,” Pauline Oliveros’ “Urban Echo: Circle Told,” Roberto Sierra’s “Lux æterna,” and Julia Wolfe’s “Anthracite Fields” (recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2015). He recorded Robert Moran’s “Requiem: Chant du Cygne” for London/Argo Records and gave the first performance of the composer’s 9/11 memorial “Trinity Requiem” in an expanded version for full chorus (the work was originally conceived for children).

Harler was also founder and director of the Contemporary Vocal Ensemble of Indiana. He prepared choruses for a number of the world’s foremost conductors, including Riccardo Muti, Klaus Tennstedt, Charles Dutoit, Zubin Mehta, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Lorin Maazel, David Robertson, and Wolfgang Sawallisch.

I met him several times over the years and interviewed him on the air at least once, in connection with a broadcast of “Trinity Requiem.” Also on the program, which took place at Philadelphia’s Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul on Logan Square, was Bruckner’s Mass No. 2 in E minor, and a new Moran commission, “Angele Dei.”

I received the news of his passing in my inbox on Friday, but I am only just getting around to sharing it on account of a busy weekend. Bad news does occasionally travel slow in the world of Classic Ross Amico.

Harler was 85-years-old. R.I.P.

The press release follows.

---

Dear Mendelssohn Chorus Family,

It is with profound sadness that we share the news that our beloved Conductor Laureate and former Artistic Director, Alan Harler, passed away peacefully in his sleep early yesterday morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with his partner of 38 years, Chuck Kalick, his extended family, and all who loved him during this difficult time.

A Transformative Leader

Alan’s artistic leadership was transformative not only to our 151-year-old organization, which he led from 1988-2015, but to the entire field of choral music. When he joined Mendelssohn Chorus as our twelfth Music Director in 1988, our organization was experiencing a difficult transitional period both artistically and fiscally. Under Alan’s visionary leadership, we not only regained our footing but evolved into a thriving, relevant, and innovative force in Philadelphia’s cultural fabric.

His vision was so compelling that after operating as a volunteer-run organization for 135 years, we were able to create our first professional board and grow our systems to support our first full-time Executive Director in 2009, with Alan serving as Artistic Director.

A Pioneer in New Music

Alan was a pioneer ahead of his time, committed to new music throughout his entire career. His approach wasn’t simply novelty for novelty’s sake—in his own words: “Inviting or even gently pulling people out of their 21st century comfort zones is the first step in preparing them to experience music and the human voice at the deepest level.”

During his tenure with us, he commissioned and premiered 58 new compositions, including Julia Wolfe’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Anthracite Fields, David Lang’s battle hymns, Jennifer Higdon’s On the Death of the Righteous, and Pauline Oliveros’s Urban Echo: Circle Told. He pushed audiences and singers alike through cross-genre performances through an innovative partnership with the Leah Stein Dance Company. These performances integrated artistic elements such as dance, ensemble choreography, projections, and even audience movement into our performances to create a fully immersive experience.

Those groundbreaking works established Mendelssohn Chorus as a vital force for living composers and earned us the 2013 Chorus America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming.

Scholar and Advocate

While Alan championed new works, he was equally a scholar and advocate of the choral greats of the past. His dedication to understanding musical traditions led him to travel to Oxford, England, to examine and study Mendelssohn’s original score of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. This research culminated in our presenting the North American premiere of Mendelssohn’s edition of Bach’s masterwork in 2015—a fitting capstone to Alan’s extraordinary tenure.

Educator and Mentor

Alan’s influence extended far beyond our chorus through his distinguished 30-year career at Temple University, where he served as Laura Carnell Professor of Choral Music and Director of Choral Activities. As one colleague noted, Alan was “a remarkable diagnostician with generosity and razor sharp analysis.” Even after retirement, he continued inspiring rising conductors through our Conducting Apprenticeship Program, mentoring dozens of conductors who now carry his legacy around the world.

A Humble Virtuoso

In a world where many artists are known for forceful egos, Alan possessed remarkable humility. As one reviewer wrote, “Alan Harler is a musician serving music by serving other musicians and the music-loving public.” Composer Roberto Sierra captured Alan’s essence perfectly: “In my life as a composer I have not met many artists like Alan, those who are at the zenith of their art, but that also are extraordinary human beings. It is precisely this combination that gives force to his artistic expression.”

A Living Legacy

The Alan Harler New Ventures Fund, established by our chorus family to honor his vision, ensures that his commitment to fostering contemporary, original, and groundbreaking works will continue in perpetuity. His belief in taking artistic risks and his passion for pushing boundaries will forever be part of our DNA.

Alan truly personified the mission “to build a dynamic and inclusive choral community so that more people are transformed by the beauty and power of choral singing.” There must be thousands of people who have been touched by Alan’s music and his humanity together.

We will share information about memorial arrangements as they become available. In the meantime, we invite you to watch the loving tribute below, created to honor Alan upon his retirement in 2015.

His legacy lives on in every commission we premiere, every aspiring conductor we mentor, and every voice that joins our chorus family.

With deepest gratitude for Alan’s immeasurable contributions,

Dominick DiOrio, Artistic Director
Flo Gardner, Executive Director
Julie Cohen, Board Chair

---

Mendelssohn Chorus tribute video

Harler and Mendelssohn Club perform Robert Moran’s “Requiem: Chant du Cygne”