Oregon Repertory Singers invites you to experience Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem in a fresh and compelling way, performed in a rarely heard version for choir, two pianos, and timpani. This more intimate scoring brings the music into sharp focus, letting Brahms’s warm harmonies and powerful choral writing shine with new clarity and energy. Unlike the traditional Latin requiem, Brahms designed this work to comfort the living—to offer reassurance, hope, and peace to those who mourn rather than prayers for the dead. Soloists Richard Zeller and Arwen Myers add depth and expressive beauty to this deeply human journey, making the experience both profoundly moving and immediately relatable. This is Brahms at his most personal: reflective, radiant, and full of compassion.

Hopewell House is our concert partner for Brahms’ Requiem because we share a belief that comfort, dignity, and care—especially at the end of life—are worthy of our deepest attention. Brahms’ Requiem is not a work about fear or judgment, but one of compassion for the living and solace for those who grieve. Hopewell House embodies these same values, providing equitable, compassionate end-of-life care for individuals and families, regardless of circumstance. Together, we affirm that this stage of life deserves tenderness, presence, and beauty.