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. The Carroll Festival Chorus, which combined members of both the Masterworks Chorale and the McDaniel College Choir, was selected in July 2005 to participate in Festival 500, “Sharing the Voices,” held in St. Johns, Newfoundland.
In 2006, members of Masterworks Chorale formed the nucleus of the choir that premiered Lorraine Whittlesey’s “Einstein’s Dreams (it’s about time…),” based on the novel Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman. In 2012, the Choral participated in the World Choir Games in Cincinnati.
In the fall of 2019, Michael Holmes was named the Artistic Director of the Chorale on 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. We are happy to be singing again in this year of rebuilding.
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 16 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.
personnel
MCCC is governed by a Board of Directors, nominated and duly elected by the membership to serve two-year terms — with exception to the Treasurer, who is appointed yearly by the Board.
Our Board for FY23 is:
Artistic Director: Michael Holmes
President: Beckie Karras
Vice President & Webmaster: Amanda Storey
Secretary: Irene Battalen
Treasurer: Jeff Horner
Facilities Coordinator: Elaine Conover
Ads & Sponsorships: Jonathan Yost
Membership: Heather Carlisle
Recruitment: Pam Haines
Publicity: Anne Weatherholt
Non-Board Positions
Accompanist: Kyongmin Kim
Librarian: Martha DeBarthe
Social Media Coordinator: Cate C. Wells
Grants Coordinator: Meg Hasse
Webmaster Emeritus: Lee Stewart
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Winters Mill High School and St. Paul’s United Church of Christ for providing our current rehearsal facilities and to Westminster Church of the Brethren 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.