Our Purpose:
The Chesapeake Choral Arts Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization, dedicated to the performance and promotion of choral music in the Southern Maryland communities.
Our Mission:
The mission of the Chesapeake Choral Arts Society is to bring excellent choral music to a variety of audiences of all ages in Southern Maryland though concerts, collaborations with other music groups, and performances for community organizations. By focusing on musical masterworks from the past to the present, audiences and performers will expand their knowledge of and appreciation for the choral music art form.
About Us:
The Chesapeake Choral Arts Society (CCAS) was formed in 1996 to provide an opportunity for residents of Charles County and Southern Maryland to sing and perform complex choral compositions. Members are selected through auditions and pay an annual membership fee. High school and college students of great musical promise are invited to participate with CCAS as scholarship students.
Our Non-Discrimination Policy:
The Chesapeake Choral Arts Society (CCAS) values all members, sub-contractors and patrons as unique individuals, and we welcome the variety of experiences they bring to our company. As such, we have a strict non-discrimination policy. We believe everyone should be treated equally regardless of race, sex, gender identification, sexual orientation, national origin, native language, religion, age, disability, marital status, citizenship, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you feel that you have been discriminated against, please let a member of the Board of Directors know as soon as possible. Every complaint will be appropriately investigated.
Our History
In 1995, a dedicated group of choral music enthusiasts decided to start a new Community Chorus in the Tri-County area of Southern Maryland. After many planning sessions and discussions, the Chesapeake Choral Arts Society was formed in 1996. Founded under the direction of Lyn Schramm and with Jim Watson as President, the group performed its first concert in December of 1996 featuring The Many Moods of Christmas (arranged by Robert Shaw and Robert Russell Bennett) and Handel’s Messiah. The group continued under Ms. Schramm’s direction through the 2002-2003 season, closing with Dubois’ Seven Last Works of Christ.
We were very fortunate at that time to take on Michael Santana as our director. Under his leadership, we added a third concert to our season (our annual Pops Concert), performed many challenging works and collaborated with many outside groups such as COSMIC Symphony Orchestra, the Schubert Singers, an Irish Dance Troupe and Port Tobacco Players. We began a tradition of doing Renaissance Christmas Dinner and Dessert concerts which have been met with great enthusiasm by our audiences. We have been fortunate to sing with soloists from the Washington National Opera and the Singing Sergeants. We closed our 2017-2018 Season with a multi-media performance about the music and times surrounding World War I. Mr. Santana put together a concert including audio recordings from the time as well as video of the era, making the performance very informative and entertaining. Our final performance of the season was Sir Michael Tippett’s A Child of our Time.
For the 2018-2019 season, we once again took on a new director and began performing under the baton of Leroy Pressley. We began the season with our Renaissance weekend, performed a Glorious Concert featuring many variations of Glory to God and closed with a tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein. We look forward to many more years under Mr. Pressley’s leadership.
The Chorus also has an auxiliary group that performs around the area primarily at Christmas. The MadriGals are an a capella women’s group that has performed at the National Christmas Tree Lighting, the Blue Crabs Stadium and for Holiday Trails in Charles County.
We were very fortunate at that time to take on Michael Santana as our director. Under his leadership, we added a third concert to our season (our annual Pops Concert), performed many challenging works and collaborated with many outside groups such as COSMIC Symphony Orchestra, the Schubert Singers, an Irish Dance Troupe and Port Tobacco Players. We began a tradition of doing Renaissance Christmas Dinner and Dessert concerts which have been met with great enthusiasm by our audiences. We have been fortunate to sing with soloists from the Washington National Opera and the Singing Sergeants. We closed our 2017-2018 Season with a multi-media performance about the music and times surrounding World War I. Mr. Santana put together a concert including audio recordings from the time as well as video of the era, making the performance very informative and entertaining. Our final performance of the season was Sir Michael Tippett’s A Child of our Time.
For the 2018-2019 season, we once again took on a new director and began performing under the baton of Leroy Pressley. We began the season with our Renaissance weekend, performed a Glorious Concert featuring many variations of Glory to God and closed with a tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein. We look forward to many more years under Mr. Pressley’s leadership.
The Chorus also has an auxiliary group that performs around the area primarily at Christmas. The MadriGals are an a capella women’s group that has performed at the National Christmas Tree Lighting, the Blue Crabs Stadium and for Holiday Trails in Charles County.
New voices are always welcome. For information or to schedule an audition,
contact our president, Ann Chess at 301-259-4615.
contact our president, Ann Chess at 301-259-4615.
