Left to right - recent Artistic Directors of The Worcester Chorus of Music Worcester - Chris Shepard, Andrew Clark, Gerald Mack.

The Campaign for the Artistic Director of The Worcester Chorus

Over its 155+ year history,  Music Worcester  has meant many things to many people. For some it remains a special cultural resource where world-renowned orchestras and soloists still play, for others it is a leading jazz and folk music presenter. For some the organization serves as a formidable educational nonprofit, annually reaching thousands of students through programs across all age levels, while others understand Music Worcester's existence to be one of bringing the best in live music to Mechanics Hall. However, for all of these years  The Worcester Chorus  has been the heart of the organization, serving as the stabilizing force as Music Worcester has changed drastically.  Thanks entirely to two area foundations, The Stoddard Charitable Trust and The Fletcher Foundation, a Campaign was announced on October 24, 2014 to endow the Artistic Director position of The Worcester Chorus, a position currently held by esteemed conductor and Bach scholar  Dr. Christopher Shepard .  These two foundations have issued a challenge to Music Worcester supporters at large - together they have pledged $150,000 with a challenge for it to be matched 2-to-1, meaning that $300,000 must be raised for a successful match.  As of October 24, 2014 over $170,000 has already been raised or pledged from the members of The Worcester Chorus as well as the Music Worcester Board of Directors.  

All inquiries regarding taking part in this effort may be directed to Music Worcester’s Executive Director,  Adrien Finlay.   If you are interested in taking part today with a donation by credit card to help us meet this extraordinary challenge, you may use the online giving portal and designate your gift for the "Chorus Director Campaign."