WISH LIST $250: hires a bus to transport children to Young People's Joy of Christmas; $500: sends a musician to present and teach at a local school; $2,000: pays an education coordinator's stipend

The signs first appeared in 1941, on church bulletin boards and in government offices asking a simple question: Can You Sing? And the answer was a resounding: Yes! The dream of creating a large chorus of men and women who would sing “the great religious music in a great religious temple” would soon be realized.Today the Cathedral Choral Society makes numerous recordings (the Washington Post describes the "clear brilliance" of the singing and its "model blend and clarion confidence"), appears in full-length programs on national radio and television, regularly premieres new music and continues to fulfill its mission of "giving voice to the community." The organization recently made its New York debut at Lincoln Center and local partnerships with the Washington Ballet, WPAS and the National Symphony Orchestra have brought standing-room-only audiences to their feet. Today’s choir is 235 voices strong, and this year will reach audiences estimated at 30,000. And CCS continues to grow. Its Young People’s Christmas Matinee attracts over 1000 local youth annually, while its Partner Schools Program brings in-school workshops, musical equipment and instruments, and a culminating public performance at Washington National Cathedral to four local schools. CCS is one of the great cultural treasures of Washington: your generosity will help the city continue to sing.

Alison Combes, Executive Director Washington National Cathedral, Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues NW Washington, DC 20016 202-537-5527 cathedralchoralsociety.org