CCS Choral Director Christa Tahere to Perform at Carnegie Hall with Sir John Rutter

Chattanooga Christian School Upper School Choral Director Christa Tahere will return to Carnegie Hall this May to participate in a special directors chorus featuring conductors and musicians from across the nation.

The performance, presented by MidAmerica Productions, will feature internationally renowned composer and conductor Sir John Rutter leading his Requiem alongside the world premiere of his newest composition, I’ll Make Me a World.

For Tahere, the invitation marks a meaningful full-circle moment. Twenty years ago this spring, she performed at Carnegie Hall as a college student under Rutter’s direction.

“This is a particularly special invitation, as I sang at Carnegie Hall exactly 20 years ago this spring with my college choir and performed under the direction of John Rutter,” Tahere said. “To be joining him on stage again with the same company 20 years later is a testament to his longevity as a choral musician and composer, but also the longevity of the company, providing students with pathways to perform important music in important spaces for decades.”

Tahere said she is especially excited to reconnect with Rutter and commemorate the occasion with a reunion photo two decades after their first performance together.

The May appearance comes ahead of another major Carnegie Hall opportunity for Tahere and the CCS choral program. In 2027, Tahere will return to Carnegie Hall as a guest conductor for MidAmerica Productions’ Carnegie Hall Performance Series, where she will lead choirs from across the country — including the CCS Choral Ensemble — in a performance of Ola Gjeilo’s "Sunrise Mass."

Tahere has spent years taking CCS choirs to Carnegie Hall to perform under conductors she admires. The upcoming appearances continue the momentum of a growing fine arts program at Chattanooga Christian School that has earned recognition for musical excellence, leadership development and meaningful performance opportunities for students.

She said experiences like Carnegie Hall create opportunities for students to pursue excellence while also representing CCS well beyond Chattanooga.

“As our students step into these spaces, I am confident that they will enter them bearing the beautiful mark of Christ on their lives and will be willing and ready to share His love with everyone around them,” Tahere said. “People have commented over the years that there is something different about our students. They have a joy and love for others that overflows and touches those around them.”