It is with profound sadness that Oregon Repertory Singers shares the passing of our Artistic Director Emeritus, Gil Seeley, who left us on June 9, his 88th birthday.

Gil was the true architect of the Oregon Repertory Singers we know and love today. Taking the podium in early 1976 as a young faculty member from Lewis & Clark College, Gil spent the next 35 years shaping ORS into a world-class civic chorus. Under his visionary leadership, the choir grew from a small ensemble into a powerhouse of musical innovation.

Gil’s philosophy of music seamlessly blended the old and the new. He championed living composers, brought legendary international masters like John Eliot Gardiner and Vladimir Minin to Portland, and pushed artistic boundaries with eclectic programming that spanned from Bach to Broadway, jazz, and world music. Under his baton, ORS won prestigious international competitions in Austria and Switzerland, released its first landmark commercial recordings, and championed the creation of the ORS Youth Choir program, which still thrives today.

For his final concert in spring 2011, sixty-three singers performed music by Tormis, Sviridov, Whitacre, and Bach, and sang Gil into retirement with a new work by Carol Barnett, The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass.

In 2024, ORS celebrated and honored Gil’s monumental impact during our landmark 50th anniversary season by formally naming the Artistic Director position in his honor, ensuring that every future leader of our choir walks in his footsteps. He made his final appearance on the podium conducting ORS in Rachmaninoff’s iconic Borogoditse Devo on the opening concert of our 50th Season.

"Gil was an inspiration in exploring the choral repertoire to its fullest. He understood clearly that singers and composers from all nations and time periods have made meaningful contributions to our art form—each giving a fresh perspective on what it means to be human at the deepest level. He is responsible for introducing so many new voices to the American choral community" says Ethan Sperry, the Gil Seeley Artistic Director. "Every time ORS steps on stage, we continue down the path that Gil set us on."

We extend our deepest condolences to Gil’s family, friends, former students, and the thousands of singers whose lives were forever changed by his leadership, his brilliant mind, and his generous heart.

Rest in peace, Gil. Thank you for the music.