Joan McFarland

Biography

Soprano Joan McFarland has been active as a soloist and professional chorister in myriad ensembles in the Washington area for almost two decades. She is currently enjoying her 19th year of singing with the Washington Bach Consort and serves as the director of the Maryland Boy Choir, a treble-voice chamber choir in residence at the University of Maryland in College Park. A frequent performer of early music, recent solo appearances of music of Bach, Purcell, Hildegard Von Bingen, Rameau, and Gluck have been with Opera Lafayette, the Alexandria Symphony, Fairfax Choral Society, Washington Bach Consort, and Folger Consort. Ms. McFarland's operatic experience has been with the Washington Opera, Opera Americana, and Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia. Her professional church and temple choir positions have included the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, St. John's Church (Lafayette Square), St. Alban's Church, and Washington Hebrew Congregation. Ms. McFarland was the featured soprano soloist on St. John's Choir's 1991 compact disc recording entitled Anthems and Motets. She received a GRAMMY award in 2000 for her conducting work with the Maryland Boy Choir on a concert CD of Britten's War Requiem with the Washington Chorus. Ms. McFarland is a member of the voice faculty at St. Mary's College of Maryland and the Academy of Music in Gaithersburg, Maryland.