Formed in 1930, the Columbia Choral Society's mission is to stimulate interest in and broaden knowledge of the world's choral master works, and to perform this literature to high standards of excellence. Dr. Matthew Caine is Music Director, and Matthew Ganong is Accompanist. The Columbia Choral Society is open to all who enjoy singing and learning about music; if you would like to know more about
singing in the Choral Society please email Artistic Director Dr. Elizabeth Mears at [email protected] to schedule an audition. The group was born in a spirit of service to the community. Organized as the Shandon Choral Society to compete in a 1930 Community Chest Drive contest, the group came to represent the entire city, and changed its name to reflect this. Working to stimulate and broaden interest in good music and to perform the world's great choral works, the group quickly grew from about 40 to more than 100 voices. The Choral Society sponsored and performed at an annual spring music festival in the city, which featured touring professional orchestras and soloists. Headliners in 1938 were the National Symphony Orchestra and the Philadelphia Symphony, as well as Nelson Eddy, the “idol of America.”
The Choral Society has been blessed with strong directors of long tenure. James Y. Perry was president. In 1949, Guthrie Darr arrived from California, where he was a member of the Robert Shaw Chorale, to join the music faculty of Columbia College, and became director of the Columbia Choral Society. During Dr. Darr's 40 years as director, the chorus became a full-season organization within the Columbia Music Festival Association, presenting three or more concerts per year. The annual production of Handel's Messiah became a Columbia tradition. From 1990 to 2000, Dr. Larry D. Wyatt, Director of Choral Studies at the University of South Carolina, served as Music Director. In 1993, the Choral Society was selected to be the chorus of the South Carolina Philharmonic, while continuing to produce biennial independent concerts. The group also performed numerous times at Charleston's Piccolo Spoleto during this time period, gaining critical acclaim for its 1995 a cappella performance of Rachmaninoff's Vespers. The Choral Society has also performed Randall Thompson's Peaceable Kingdom and Bernstein's Chicester Psalms, works by Vierne, Britten and Perry, and in 1998, the Durufle Requiem. Other concerts have been in cities throughout the state and region, including Sumter, Hartsville, and Charlotte. The Choral Society performed as guest artist with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, and at Hilton Head's 1997 Feste Italiano “Night at the Opera.”
Dr. Tim Koch accepted the position of Music Director and Conductor in 2000. He holds degrees from Illinois Wesleyan University and the University of Illinois, and the Doctor of Musical Arts from the Eastman School of Music. During his tenure, the Chorale gave acclaimed performances of many masterworks, including Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Requiem, Beethoven's Mass in C and Ninth Symphony, and Ernest Bloch's Sacred Service. Koch and the Chorale have also ventured into the contemporary repertory in performances of music by Samuel Adler, Kirke Mechem, Petr Eben, Meira Warshauer, among others. It was also during Dr. Koch's term as Music Director that the chorus was renamed as the South Carolina Symphonic Chorale. The chorus reverted to its original name in the fall of 2005, and is again known as the Columbia Choral Society. Dr. William D. Carswell was selected as the Music Director in 2005 and led the chorus during its 75th year, culminating in a magnificent 75th Anniversary Concert held at St. Peter's Catholic Church followed by a lovely reception at the Museum of Art. Dr. Carswell is Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Coker College in Hartsville, SC. In addition to directing the Coker Singers and the Coker Chamber Singers, he teaches conducting, voice and courses in music education. He holds degrees from Appalachian State University, Florida State University and the University of South Carolina. His infectious enthusiasm for choral music and for volunteer choruses assures that every concert is a celebration of that enthusiasm. Dr. Carswell's promotion to Associate Professor of Music at Coker College and the additional responsibilities that entailed resulted in his resignation as Music Director of the Columbia Choral Society in 2010. The chorus will miss him but wishes him much success. Christopher Jacobson took up the baton of the society in the fall of 2011 and held this position until June of 2013. Mr. Jacobson holds the Master of Music degree in Organ Performance and the Sacred Music Diploma from the Eastman School of Music as well as the Associate diploma from the American Guild of Organists. He received his Bachelor of Music degree with distinction in Organ Performance from St. Olaf College. He is also a graduate of the American Boy Choir School where he was a treble chorister. The Columbia Choral Society is pleased to announce Dr. Matthew Caine as its new Music Director. Dr. Caine will officially begin his tenure on August 1, 2014. He brings a wealth of talent, education, public relations experience, and choral conducting expertise to this position. Today the Columbia Choral Society continues its long tradition as a dedicated volunteer professional chorus of auditioned singers. During the 2011-2012 season, the Columbia Choral Society implemented a new young artist scholarship program. The CCS Guthrie Darr Young Artist Scholarship exists to encourage and assist young artists in the study of voice through private voice lessons. Two local high school students received scholarship money to pay for private voice lessons and the opportunity to perform at our March 2012 concert. Through its history, the Columbia Choral Society has performed with a long list of accomplished organizations, including the South Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra, the Charleston, Long Bay, and University of South Carolina Symphony Orchestras, the Carolina Master Chorale, the Charleston Symphony Chorus, the Bulgarian National Chorus, the West Yorkshire (England) Chorus, the Sandlapper Singers, the Palmetto Mastersingers, the University of South Carolina Concert Choir and University Chorus, and the Benedict Concert Choir. The Choral Society's most recent appearances with the South Carolina Philharmonic included performances of Haydn's Te Deum for the Empress Maria Therese (2009), Poulenc's Gloria (2011), Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (2012) and Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky Cantata (2014).
