©Connecticut Choral Society, Inc., P.O. Box 42, Southbury, CT 06488-
About CCS
The Connecticut Choral Society, Inc. (CCS), established in 1980, is an ensemble of auditioned singers who are joined by their commitment to provide a music resource for Connecticut; to encourage singing and performing choral music of the highest artistic quality; and to stimulate greater appreciation and enjoyment of choral music.
The Choral Society was founded by Christopher Shay, Woodbury, CT. Mr. Shay directed the group through its first 12 seasons and was succeeded by Tina Heidrich who directed the group for the next eight years. John Robert Liepold became Music Director and Conductor in 2000 leading CCS for seven seasons. In the spring of 2007, CCS welcomed Eric Dale Knapp as conductor.
From modest beginnings (less than 30 people attended the first rehearsal), we have grown in stature and accomplishment to become a renowned chorus of 60 men and women. We have appeared at Carnegie Hall (with the New York Pops Orchestra) and have toured England, Canada, and Eastern Europe, but we remain dedicated foremost to bringing beautiful and inspiring works to our local audiences in Connecticut. We are known for our high musical performance standards, outstanding contribution to the arts, and community outreach.
The first of many great oratorios we've performed over the years occurred in 1982
-
Also, Orff's Carmina Burana; Rossini's Stabat Mater; Rutter's Gloria; Brahms' Nanie; Borodin's Polovetzian Dances; Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and Te Deum; Ode to Joy,and Choral Fantasy; Handel's Israel in Egypt; plus a concert of Great Opera Choruses sung in Czech, French, Italian, and Russian.
In the Spring of 1998, we performed an all Russian program featuring Prokoviev's
Alexander Nevsky, Rachmaninoff's All Night Vigil, Rimsky-
Under Maestro Liepold's baton, we performed Poulenc's Gloria, Brahms' German Requiem,
Chichester Psalms by Leonard Bernstein, the Connecticut Premiere of James Bassi’s
Carol Symphony, and Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610. We performed Messe de Minuit pour
Noel, Marc Antoine Charpentier and the premier performance of Wit Wonders: Midwinter
Mystery, by American Composer Benjamin Broening (specially commissioned by the Connecticut
Choral Society) and in the spring, 2002, J. S. Bach's Mass in B Minor at Woolsey
Hall, Yale University in New Haven and in Danbury. Also, Benjamin Britten's Saint
Nicolas and Cantata Misericordium, Johann Sebastian Bach's Magnificat and Handel's
Dixit Dominus, Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms, and Mendelssohn's Hear My Prayer,
A Sacred Cantata, and Mozart's Requiem -
With Maestro Knapp, we have traveled to Australia and China to participate in international choral festivals. For our Spring 2009 concerts, we combined with the New Jersey Choral Society (also under Mr. Knapp’s baton) to present a “Homage to Haydn,” which feature the Heilligmesse in both Connecticut and New Jersey. Each December we present “Candlelight and Carols” to audiences in Newtown and Woodbury, a tradition we all look forward to.
We have performed locally in Connecticut, at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Woolsey
Hall, Yale University in New Haven, as well as Canada, Europe, Australia, and China.
The group is also noted for its outreach, through our affiliation with community
organizations including Toys for Tots, Yale-