The Masterworks Chorale of Carroll County, known formerly as the Carroll County Choral Arts Society, was founded in 1977 under the direction of conductor David Kreider. Since its founding, the group has brought the community the works of historical masters such as Mozart, Brahms, Haydn, Handel and Mendelssohn, as well as many contemporary composers.
Dr. Margaret Boudreaux, from McDaniel College, directed the Chorale from 2002 – 2019. During these years, the group collaborated with many other music groups in the region, such as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Columbia Symphony, the McDaniel College Choir, the Westminster Symphony Orchestra, the Frederick Regional Youth Orchestra, and the Carroll County Children’s Chorus.
In the fall of 2019, Michael Holmes was hired as the Artistic Director of the Chorale upon the retirement of Dr. Boudreaux. After one concert conducted by Mr. Holmes, the group underwent a hiatus of two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first concert after that was held in Spring 2022 at Carroll Community College’s Scott Theater.
In Spring of 2025, a new Artistic Director, Kyle Engler was named to replace Mr. Holmes who had to step away from the chorale. Under the direction of Ms. Engler, the chorale performed its most successful performance in many years, Mozart’s “Requiem” at Winters Mill High School auditorium. This marks a new and exciting time for Masterworks Chorale as we continue to enlighten our audiences with performances by the masters.
Masterworks Chorale is a nonprofit organization that depends on the support of the individuals, businesses, institutions, and organizations in the community. The singers, mostly amateur, perform on a volunteer basis. The Chorale accepts members aged 18 and over — those interested in joining the group can fill out our form here.
Masterworks Chorale is dedicated to providing the community with the opportunity to hear music of the highest quality and to participate in making that music. As we strive for excellence in performance, we strengthen our commitment to learning, improving, and growing in our music and as a group.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Winters Mill High School and Ascension Episcopal Church for providing our current rehearsal facilities and to Westminster Church of the Brethren and St. Paul’s UCC for their past hospitality. We also extend our appreciation to McDaniel College for most often providing our concert venue, and to Carroll Community College for providing the space for our Spring 2022 concert.
We would especially like to thank Lee Stewart for hosting and maintaining our website from 2002-2022.
The Masterworks Chorale is generously supported in part by grants from the Carroll County Arts Council and the Maryland State Arts Council.