A Brief History of the Athens Choral Society
by Mary Hutcherson

In the winter of 1971 five people dreamed of a community chorus open to all singers without audition for the purpose of learning and performing major choral works. Jewell and Robert John, Arlene and Al Ligotti, and Daniel Politoske arranged rehearsal space at Oglethorpe Elementary School, hung posters, and hoped to attract thirty or forty singers. On May 18, 1971, the fledgling Choral Society gave its first concert -- Brahms’ “NEW LIEBESLIEDER WALTZES” and portions of Handel’s MESSIAH, in the old Mell Auditorium.

Over the past thirty years, the Choral Society has remained true to the ideals of its founders. The group has amassed a repertory of 180 or more works, and has presented an average of three free performances per year plus a summer fund-raiser. Concerts have included the giants of choral literature, such as Mendelssohn’s ELIJAH, Haydn’s CREATION, and Dvorak’s STABAT MATER, as well as works by relatively obscure composers such as Baldassare Galuppi and Amy Beach. Some of the more unusual concerts include one devoted to the music of women composers, an all-American program for the 1976 Bicentennial, and an international concert with pieces in seven languages. The chorus has premiered several short pieces by local composers, and in 1996, it commissioned a major work, “The Mystic Trumpeter” by John Corina. The first annual summer fund-raiser was instituted at Seney-Stovall Chapel in 1998, and past fundraisers have included The Micado, the Pirates of Penzance, and the HMS Pinafore.

The longevity of the Athens Choral Society has been due to a series of dedicated directors, a core of singers who return season after season and who recruit new members for each term, and a large body of friends and patrons in the Athens and UGA community. Former directors include Daniel Politoske, Ann Jones, Tom Weaver, David Johnson, Tom Granum, Scott McCoy, James Baldwin, Marlene Ledet, John Corina, Ken Powers, and Dell Hitchcock. Stephen Mitchell has been gleefully announced as the new director for 2005. Former accompanists include Clara Johnson, Joe Causey, Sue Baughman, and Emma Pettyjohn, and Miriam Edwards. Scores of instrumentalists and soloists have also performed with the chorus.

For the past several years, UGA has provided rehearsal space in the School of Music, and area churches have generously offered rehearsal and performance venues. Concerts have been presented in UGA’s Fine Arts Auditorium, the Morton Theater, and the Oconee Civic Center.

The Society is supported by a small dues for each term and donations by patrons and sponsors. Singers purchase their own scores, and many donate them to the ACS Library. ACS has enabled singers to grow in their vocal ability, to broaden their musical horizons, to perform choral masterworks, and to have fun in rehearsal as well as performance.