About MasterWorks Chorale
MasterWorks Chorale was founded as Marcellus Chorale in 1965 by Dr. Joseph Centrone, the Chorale's first conductor. Dr. Centrone formed a chorus from four church choirs in Marcellus, New York. The present conductor, Maureen McCauley, assumed leadership in 1977.
Throughout the years, Chorale has presented a wide variety of performances. Christmas
concerts have ranged from cabarets with choreography and costumes, to joint concerts
with local choirs, high school groups, and handbell choirs. Original productions
of popular choral arrangements with choreography, dialogue, and costuming were presented
for many years. Marcellus Chorale performed jointly with other community choral groups,
including the Oneida Area Civic Chorale, Endwell Community Chorus, Oswego Festival
Chorus, and Mt. Carmel Seventh-
Gradually an increasing emphasis was placed upon performing classical music. In 1988, Marcellus Chorale reorganized and incorporated as an auditioned group with the purpose of presenting choral masterworks.
The Chorale voted to change the name of the musical organization to MasterWorks Chorale in 1996 to more adequately describe the music performed and to reflect the fact that members come from a wide geographical area. Since that time, the repertoire has focused upon works of major composers such as Verdi's Requiem Mass, the Bach's B Minor Mass, Mozart's Vespers, and Brahms' Liebeslieder Walzer.
In keeping with the goal of presenting the finest in choral music to Central New York audiences, MasterWorks Chorale often employs professional soloists and orchestral accompaniment.
Presently the singers hail from three counties: Onondaga, Oswego, and Cayuga. The hallmark of participation is a desire to aspire to the highest artistic standards.
MasterWorks Chorale welcomes vocalists who embrace the classics. Come join a dedicated group of singers who enjoy performing great works of the masters.
