MasterWorks Chorale Staff

Daniel Larson

Comductor

Daniel Larson completed his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester, New York, and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Conservatory of Music of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He served on the voice faculty of the Hochstein Music School in Rochester, was the first Music Director for the Geva Theatre in Rochester, sang with Opera Under the Stars, and was awarded an exchange fellowship at the University of Cologne, Germany.

He spent twenty years in Kansas City and served as Founding Chair of the Department of Humanities at Avila College [now Avila University] where he was Professor of Music and Executive Director of the Goppert Theatre. He directed the annual Avila Music Festival and was music director for Avila musical theater and opera productions and choral performances.

In 1997-99, he was Dean of Arts and Sciences at Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor, Michigan. In 1999-2003, he served as Vice-President for Academic Affairs at St. Charles Community College in St. Peters, Missouri. In 2003, he became Vice-President for Instruction at Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica, New York. In August 2007, he was appointed the seventh president of Cayuga Community College. He is a new board member of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. He and Marianne, and their Yorkshire terrier Duchess, live in Auburn, New York.

Lori Rhodes Pettit

Accompanist

Lori is the Chorale's new rehearsal accompanist, taking over for our retiring accompanist of 30 years, Jody Mets. Lori is well known around the entire area-and especially to Auburn audiences-for her skillful solo and ensemble playing. She teaches piano privately at Music Notes Studio in Auburn. In addition to her full schedule as a private piano teacher, Lori plays the organ at Westminster Presbyterian Church, also in Auburn, a post she has held for more than four years. Lori says of the priceless historic E.M. Skinner three-manual organ: "Playing this beautiful instrument twice a week and being surrounded by all these wonderful people is a little bit of heaven."

Although there is a lot of hard work that goes into creating such music skills, some would say Lori comes by her talent genetically: her father is the widely known and greatly respected tenor Gary Rhodes. Gary has often (and memorably) appeared with the MasterWorks Chorale, especially at frequent May fundraisers.

Maureen McCauley

Maureen directed the MasterWorks Chorale since 1977. A native of Skaneateles, she holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Crane school of Music, Potsdam SUNY and a Masters Degree in Choral Conducting from the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) at Cincinnati University.

In 1988, under her leadership, MasterWorks Chorale (then Marcellus Chorale) became an auditioned group focusing on the masterworks. Representative repertoire of MasterWorks Chorale includes Verdi's Requiem, Bach's Saint Matthew Passion, and Mendelssohn's Elijah.

Maureen has directed many local church music programs She recently retired from the Syracuse City School District. Maureen is currently on a one year sabbatical from MasterWorks Chorale.

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