factors. Warland decided he needed forty singers to attain the sound he wanted, rather than the standard sixteen to twenty for most chamber choirs. He chose singers not based on homogeneity but on personality and warmth. He would also audition and choose seating arrangements with his back to the ensemble so that he was judging by sound alone. Singers for the ensemble were chosen based on their strong musical skills, beautiful voice, solid vocal technique, and positive attitude. 355 singers participated in the organization during its existence. Warland began the DWS during a time when professional choirs were uncommon. However, the 1980-81 season was a turning point in which the DWS offered its first subscription series and hired a full-time manager. In 1982, the DWS began to pay its singers, which set a new precedent for professional choirs nationally. In 1975, the DWS began regularly performing at the Walker Art Center. The DWS made many tours across the country and to Europe. They have collaborated extensively with many notable ensembles and musicians including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Chanticleer, and the Dave Brubeck Quartet. The DWS has additionally sung under the conductors Robert Shaw, Leonard Slatkin, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Neville Marriner, Edo de Waart, Hugh Wolff, Bobby McFerrin, David Zinman, Roger Norrington, and James Conlon. The DWS made many radio appearances, including Garrison Keilor's A Prairie Home Companion and annual broadcasts of "Echoes of Christmas" and "Cathedral Classics" which reached audiences of 1.5 million across the United States. The DWS have also appeared in feature film soundtracks, most notably those of My Best Friend's Wedding and The Garden of Redemption. The DWS presented its final concert, “I Have Had Singing: A Choral Celebration,” on 30 May 2004 at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. Warland had many reasons for retiring at this time. He was at his height musically and wanted time for other pursuits. Because the finances of the ensemble were usually a struggle (the choir never earned an endowment and rarely finished a concert season in the black), the board of directors decided that it was better to disband the choir than to find a successor. The archives for the DWS are located at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, which consists of the score library (including more than 1,100 copies of all 270 commissioned works), all organizational and artistic records, and over 300 audio and video recordings of the ensemble's performances. Literature