About MCS
History
In February of 1971, a small group of people who shared a common dream of music artistry and quality performance presented their first concert under the direction of Mr. Paul Bley. Initially, the group called itself the Greater Southeast Community Choral Society. In 1975, Dr. Sandra Willets became artistic director and the name was changed to the Southern Maryland Choral Society. Under Dr. Willets' direction (1975 - 1981), the group earned the reputation as one of the more accomplished choral groups in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. For the next sixteen years, the choral society was under the leadership of several more outstanding artistic directors:
| Dr. Sandra Willets (1975-1981) | Ernest Johnson (1997-2001) |
| Dr. Craig Jessop (1981-1987) | James Holloway (2001-2005) |
| Dr. Samuel Gordon (1987-1995) | Dr. Don Armstrong (2006) |
| Julianne S. Turrentine (1995-1997) | Ms. Jeanne Kelly (2007-2008) |
Beginning January 2009, the Maryland Choral Society sings under the direction of Dr. Richard Giarusso.
The Maryland Choral Society is a community organization and strives to be a leading force in the advocacy and enhancement of the choral arts industry, to cultivate educational opportunities, to nurture intergenerational experiences, and to create musical excellence throughout Maryland and the DC Metro regions. We thank you for taking time to get to know the Maryland Choral Society!
Artistic Staff
Artistic Director |Dr. Richard Giarusso
RICHARD GIARUSSO is a versatile musician with practical and scholarly experience in a wide range of repertoire. After undergraduate study in music and English at Williams College, where he worked closely with Kenneth Roberts, he earned the PhD in historical musicology from Harvard University, completing his dissertation under the supervision of the late Reinhold Brinkmann. His research focuses on the music of Schubert, Bruckner, Mahler, and Vaughan Williams, and he currently serves on the musicology faculty at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. In addition to his work at Peabody, he also offers interdisciplinary classes in music and literature at the Johns Hopkins University. A frequent lecturer for arts organizations in the mid-Atlantic, he has presented talks for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Baltimore Symphony, the Handel Choir of Baltimore, the Shriver Hall Concert Series, and the Baltimore Museum of Art.
In addition to his academic work, Dr. Giarusso maintains an active career as a singer and conductor throughout the Northeast. He has studied voice with Keith Kibler, Pamela Dellal, and Elizabeth Daniels and conducting with E. Wayne Abercrombie and Bradley Wells. He has performed in master classes with Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Mitsuko Shirai, and Hartmut Höll and has coached German art song with Robert Levin, Malcolm Bilson, and John Shirley-Quirk. An experienced ensemble singer, he was a regular member and frequent soloist with the Choir of the Church of the Advent (Boston). Praised by the Washington Post for his "expressive and perfectly controlled voice," he currently performs with the Washington Bach Consort, the Choir of Christ Church, Georgetown, and Cathedra, the vocal chamber ensemble of the Washington National Cathedral. A specialist in the German lied, Dr. Giarusso is involved in a long-term project with fortepianist Aaron Berkowitz to perform and record the Schubert song cycles with historical instruments. During the summer months, he serves on the faculty of the Berkshire Choral Festival in Sheffield, Massachusetts. As a conductor, he led the annual productions of The New Opera (Williamstown, MA) from 2004 through 2007 and served as music director for the inaugural season of the Hubbard Hall Opera Theatre (Cambridge, NY) in 2008. He was appointed artistic director of the Maryland Choral Society in January 2009.
Accompanist | Serena Moore
SERENA MOORE began as accompanist for the Choral Society in 1977. She has been guest artist in several concerts playing her own harpsichord and is the pianist and organist in the Maryland Festival Orchestra which regularly accompanies the Choral Society.
Ms. Moore is a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington and has studied organ with R. Byard Fritts at PLU, piano with Jerry Bosley and harpsichord with Lany Collins in Washington, D.C. She opened the 1991-1992 concert season as soloist with the MCS and Orchestra in Haydn's Concertino in C for harpsichord. A member of the American Guild of Organists, Potomac Chapter, Ms. Moore is organist/choir director at Oxon Hill Lutheran Church and she teaches at Our Savior's School in Forestville, Maryland, where she heads the music program.
Board of Directors
| David Johnson, President | Sandra Hawkins, Costumes |
| Loyce Smith, Vice-President | Vivien Peterson, Personnel |
| Nancy Ernest, Treasurer | Peppino Lynas, Hospitality |
| Lisa Humerickhouse, Secretary | Darrel Perry, Facilities |
| Richard Giarusso, ex officio | Chuck Current, Member-at-Large |
| Serena Moore, Accompanist | Barbara Sally, Member-at-Large |
| Estalene Ferrillo, Librarian |
The Maryland Choral Society is a proud member of:
