About The Huntsville Master Chorale
Why We Sing
The Huntsville Master Chorale celebrates creativity by providing vibrant musical performances, developing singers, commissioning original compositions, and promoting community through choral singing and collaborating with other local arts groups.
While the Chorale provides musical growth for singers, it also provides educational opportunities for area musicians, composers, and music educators. Through workshops and Meet the Composer events, we bring tools, perspectives, and master class teaching opportunities that enrich our arts community.
The Chorale has a particular heart for commissioning new works. Composition is where music begins, and we feel honored to participate in the process. The Chorale consistently brings new musical works to life, both from composers of international renown and in the local area.
Above all, we seek to promote unity through music. We believe that corporate music provides the unique opportunity to offer peace, inclusion and harmony to all involved, performer and listener alike.
Our History
The mission of the Huntsville Master Chorale is to foster creativity by keeping excellent choral singing alive in North Alabama. Of particular interest is nurturing renowned and emerging composers by commissioning and performing new works.
Originally the Eugene Brasher Chorale, the Huntsville Master Chorale was founded in 1998 by Dr. Eugene Brasher. Other directors through the years have included Handy Avery, Tom Dooling, and Dr. Erin Colwitz.
In May 2012, Dr. Patricia Ramirez Hacker was appointed as Artistic Director of the Huntsville Master Chorale. The group is thriving under her direction and is attracting regional attention as a force in vocal music excellence.
While The Chorale provides musical growth for singers, it also provides educational opportunities for area musicians, composers, and music educators. Through workshops and Meet the Composer events, we bring tools, perspectives, and master class teaching opportunities that enrich our arts community. Most concerts are provided free of charge for all to enjoy, with donations accepted to defray expenses. The Chorale relies greatly on corporate and individual sponsorships, as well as its annual Valentine’s Day fundraiser, Mosaic of Love.
The Huntsville Master Chorale has a particular heart for commissioning new works. Composition is where music begins, and we feel honored to participate in the process. The Chorale consistently brings new musical works to life, both from composers of international renown and in the local area.
Above all, we seek to promote unity through music. We believe that corporate music provides the unique opportunity to offer peace, inclusion, and harmony to all involved, performer and listener alike.
Commissioned Works and World Premieres
2009 – Songs of Love & Loss*, Bryan Page
2014 – Having Told the Hive the News, Holland G. Hopson
2014 – Three Songs of Spring, Emma Lou Diemer
“Dolphins”
“My Apple Orchard”
“Unpredictable”
2015 – Two Prayers, Bryan Page
“Great, Good, Just and Loving God”
“I Thank You, God”
2015 – The Great Song, Susan Fletcher
2015 – We Give Thanks, Adriana Perera
2016 – Spring Songs, J.D. Frizzell
“If I Could See You Wind”
“Upon a Wheel of Cloud (Like a Rain It Sounded)”
2016 – Beauty Calls Me to My Knees, Dennis Clements
2017 – Ode to the Sun, Hal H. Hopson
“The Radiant Moon Has Passed Away”
“The Edge of the Night”
“The Sun Will Rise Tomorrow”
“It is Early Yet”
“Let Go, Release the Night”
“And Comes the Sun”
2018 – Spring Songs, Michael John Trotta
“Flower God”
“Love is the Very Heart of Spring”
“Spring Carol”
2018 – April, Andrew Marshall (Winner, HMC Choral Composition Competition)
2018 – My Cathedral, Lori Larson (Finalist, HMC Choral Composition Competition)
2018 – Winter’s Defeat, Gwyn Williams (Finalist, HMC Choral Composition Competition)
2019 – Ignition, Evelyn Pursley-Kopitzke (Winner, HMC Choral Composition Competition)
2020 – Three Songs of Spring, Timothy Amalavage-Smith (Winner, HMC Choral Composition Competition)
2021 – I Dream a World, Cole Reyes (Winner, HMC Choral Composition Competition)
2022 – Nothing but Love, Remel Derrick (Winner, HMC Choral Composition Competition)
*Commissioned by Greg Wright and dedicated to Hannah Marguerite Wright & Gregory Marshall Wright, Jr., for the joy they bring to their parents’ hearts.