Masterworks Chorale

 

 

 

 

Masterworks Chorale is an ensemble of 130 singers at Shepherd University, under the direction of Dr. Erik Reid Jones.

This ensemble is an outstanding "town-and-gown" choir, made up of students and community members, and performing mostly large-scale pieces with full orchestra. Everyone are expected to have their notes learned and their music well-prepared in advance of every rehearsal. Works scheduled for the 2008-09 season include Orff's Carmina Burana, Gorecki's Miserere, Respighi's Laud to the Nativity, and Dello Joio's To St. Cecilia.

Auditions take place at the beginning of every semester, during the first week of classes. Email Dr. Jones if you are interested in auditioning.

Recent works have included J.S. Bach's St. John Passion, Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms, Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, Verdi's Requiem, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Randall Thomspon's The Peaceable Kingdom, Corigliano's Fern Hill, and Conrad Susa's Carols and Lullabies: Christmas in the Southwest.

The ensemble rehearses Mondays from 7:30 - 9:30.

The video is a performance of the first movement of Verdi's Requiem with the Shepherd University Masterworks Chorale. The orchestra is comprised of local professionals and faculty members. This video was recorded live in performance on May 6, 2007.