Chorus Sings Their Way into the Hearts of the Community
The Wallingford Chorus is bringing their love for choral music to the community.
For over 40 years, central Connecticut has enjoyed harmonized melodies -- thanks to the Wallingford Chorus. The Chorus formed to celebrate the Town of Wallingford's tercentenary in 1970 and has continued to serenade the town ever since. Promoting the enrichment and appreciation of choral music in the region is core to the Chorus's purpose now, and to do so requires dedicated membership and donations from the community to allow the Chorus to remain financially solvent.
"The Wallingford Chorus is important because it is the only choral group in our community that welcomes all levels of singers, both genders, and offers the breadth of musical selections and entertainment that only a community chorus can," says former president Eileen Lettick.
The Chorus's longevity can be credited to a willingness to revamp itself as time passes and interest in the chorus fades in and out.
"We have developed a repertoire that extends from classical to contemporary," Lettick says. "Two seasons ago we hired Director Matthew Campisi to lead us through a period in which enthusiasm for our Chorus had started to wane. As the youngest director in the state of Connecticut, Matthew brought with him his youth and a fresh exuberance that had been lacking in the Chorus for a while. Under his leadership and creative programming skills, we are finally regaining some of the excitement about music that had always been our hallmark in the past."
The Wallingford Chorus is supported by individual donations and has received funding from The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven through The Great Give®, and its Arts Fund. Funding has been used to support their spring concert, allowing the chorus to be accompanied by a string quartet for the performance -- a goal that had been unattainable for several years. Other funding has been used to broaden community collaboration with local high schools, musicians, and dancers which in turn has doubled their audience and attracted new members.
The nonprofit performs two concerts a year, one in May and one in December at Church of the Resurrection with rehearsals every Tuesday at Lyman Hall High School.
To learn more about the Wallingford Chorus and support its programs, visit its profile on giveGreater.org®.
Did you know?
The Wallingford Chorus offers a High School Intern Program which offers students musical experience by providing a more professional venue for them and an opportunity to enhance a college application with a valuable cultural experience outside of the normal realm.
Source: The Wallingford Chorus website
This story is part of the Inspiration Monday story series produced by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.
