History of the Choir
The Cary Community Choir of Cary, North Carolina, is an all-volunteer choir assembled annually for the presentation of the Christmas portion of Messiah by George Frederic Handel to the Cary Community.
Founded as a cooperative effort among Ministers of Music from the four main churches in Cary at the time, the Cary Community Choir continues to gather each year in the spirit of celebration and ecumenicalism. Our goal is to provide an opportunity for singers in church choirs and others from across our region to prepare for and present this concert for the public as a community of faith marking the beginning of the Christmas season. This annual concert stands alone as Cary’s longest-running tradition.
We are singers who gather each year for four rehearsals in preparation for this concert, held in various Cary churches. We are orchestra members and soloists who are hand-selected to provide the best art that our area has to offer. We are members of the Cary community who rejoice collectively by listening to some of the greatest music ever written.
Origin of the Choir
The Cary Community Choir traces its origin to Cary’s Centennial Celebration in 1971, for which citizens of the town were encouraged to dress in centennial costumes. Centennial Sunday took place in the summer with a worship service that was held at the football stadium of Cary High School. Local church choirs combined to provide music. The three principal choir directors involved were Stuart Thompson, minister of music and youth at First Baptist Church; Mary Raver, choir director at Cary Methodist Church (now First UMC); and Bill Easter, choir director at White Plains Methodist Church. Thompson directed the combined choir.
After the service, the three directors discussed the possibility of getting the choirs back together to perform a more challenging piece of music. After some deliberation, Handel’s Messiah was chosen. Rehearsals began in October, meeting every Tuesday evening until the work was performed on the first Sunday in December. Thompson conducted the rehearsals, but Charles Gatwood, director of music for the Baptist State Convention, was eventually brought in to conduct the performance. Because the first presentation was so well received, the presentations continued annually under Gatwood’s direction.
Over the life of the choir, there have been three directors: Charles Gatwood, David Mellnik and the current director, Pepper Choplin.
The choir celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021.