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For the last five and a half years, the GCS Youth Chorale was incredibly lucky to be accompanied by the fantastic, Alisa Gilliam and it is with a heavy heart that we must say goodbye as she takes on additional responsibilities with her work at Oakmont Baptist, teaching private lessons, and at ECU. Her skills behind the piano were only matched by her incredibly kind personality and she is going to be missed terribly! Thank you so much for your service to our organization, Alisa! We are very excited to announce that Cory Whaley has been named the new collaborative pianist for the Youth Chorale! Mr. Whaley actually served as a choral scholar for the group many years ago and we are so excited to welcome him back! You can learn more about Cory down below!  Cory Whaley - Cory Whaley is a collaborative pianist working in Eastern North Carolina. He teaches private voice and piano lessons in Wilson, NC at The Singer’s Studio as well as in Pitt County. Additionally, Mr. Whaley works with the community theater and Wilson Arts Council as Musical Director for many of their productions as well as serving as an accompanist to many local schools in Pitt County, Wilson County, Onslow County, and Craven County. Cory has studied piano with Dowell Idol from Jacksonville, NC and Dr. Kerry Carlin and Dr. Catherine Garner of East Carolina University. He spends most of his time practicing piano, traveling, and taking care of his wonderful dog, Bartok.
“I am thrilled to take on this new opportunity with the Greenville Choral Society Youth Chorale! After working with Mr. Hancock for many years, it’s a privilege to serve as his accompanist for such a special group of singers! Thank you for this wonderful, exciting, new adventure!”
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The Greenville Choral Society is proud to honor long-time GCS Board Member, Beatrice (Bea) Chauncey with an endowment in her name. Bea played an integral part in the formation of the Greenville Choral Society in 1969, then the Greenville Community Chorus, as a “town and gown” organization that would bring together the choral ensembles from East Carolina University as well as the talented church choirs in the community.
A member of the faculty at East Carolina University's School of Music for 41 years, Bea came to ECU in 1949 after earning degrees from the University of Akron and Columbia University and after teaching in Montana, California, and Florida. At that time, East Carolina was still East Carolina Teachers College and she was hesitant to move to Greenville, after having lived in New York City, because she knew first-hand what it was like to live on a tobacco farm. Bea decided to take the job as flute professor and educator at the School of Music anyway and found where she belonged. "The main thing that I realized is that here, people cared for people," she said. "They cared for each other. It was people loving people.” Bea taught music at the clinical training school on campus (Wahl-Coates Elementary), at two other schools in Greenville, as well as college courses and applied lessons at ECTC. "My days were a potpourri," Bea said. "It was a different way of doing things. I was paid half by the city and half by the college.” At the university, she taught undergraduate and graduate flute students, performed in numerous chamber music ensembles, and served as Director of the ECU Women's Glee Club for fifteen years. In addition, Professor Chauncey was the recipient of awards for outstanding participation in professional organizations such as the North Carolina Music Educators Association, Kappa Delta Pi, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Sigma Alpha Iota. Outside of her life as a music educator, Bea designed and built a house on the Pamlico River and became an accomplished sailor who won a number of awards, and she still found time to help a number of woman's causes in Greenville in addition to serving on the Greenville Choral Society Board of Directors for a number of years. Bea retired from ECU in 1990 and established an endowment for the School of Music in 1992. She entered Cypress Glen in 2005 and was quoted as saying, “my music career was very rewarding and I value my teaching experiences and the friendship with my students and faculty, but I also treasure my days of sailing on the Pamlico. I am grateful for a very happy and interesting life.” After her passing in 2017, the Greenville Choral Society was given an endowment from Bea’s estate that will go to support the mission of GCS and we are thrilled to be able to honor her incredible legacy of music and music education in Eastern NC! Thank you to Jane Smart for all of your help in securing these funds! Make sure to purchase your fresh Christmas tree, wreath, garland, or kissing ball (NEW) from the Greenville Choral Society! You can't get anything fresher! Orders can be placed online or with any GCS member and are due November 1st. All items will be delivered to The Memorial Baptist Church for pick-up on Sunday, November 29th and can be delivered for $15. Thank you for your support! 🎵🎄
 Congratulations to GCS Youth Chorale members, Royan G. and Shelby S. on making the North Carolina Honors Chorus. The highest honor for choral music students in NC, these students were the only two students to make the choir from Pitt County and were chosen as part of the top 181 students in the state! They will rehearse and perform at the North Carolina Music Educator's Association Conference in November in Winston Salem and they will actually be conducted by the former Artistic Director of the Greenville Choral Society, Dr. Daniel Bara, who now works at the University of Georgia. We are so proud of both of you!
Make sure to purchase your fresh Christmas tree, wreath, or garland from the Greenville Choral Society! Trees are cut and delivered by our members straight from the mountains of NC. You can't get anything fresher! Orders are due by November 3rd and all items will be delivered to The Memorial Baptist Church for pick-up on Sunday, December 1st. Items can also be delivered for $15. Thank you for your support!
 Davis Martin has been named as the new Assistant Conductor for the GCS Concert Choir. We are very excited to welcome him and we look forward to working with him! Learn more about Mr. Martin below:
Davis Martin is a graduate student at East Carolina University pursuing a Master of Music with concentrations in Choral Conducting and Vocal Pedagogy. He is a native of Pitt County, having attended Farmville Central High School, and he received his Bachelor of Music in Music Composition also at East Carolina University. During his undergraduate degree, Mr. Martin studied piano with Dr. Keiko Sekino, voice with Mr. John Kramar, and composition with Dr. Ed Jacobs and Dr. Marc Faris. He currently studies conducting with Dr. James Franklin, voice with Dr. Catherine Gardner, and composition with Dr. Ed Jacobs. As a composer, Mr. Martin frequently has works premiered by ECU students and staff and they are often a part of the NC New Music Initiative and he also organizes and leads the Frequencies concert series at ECU, which features an annual concert of students performing new music. As a performer, Mr. Martin has been a member of the ECU Chamber Singers for four years and has appeared in a number of ECU Opera Theatre productions. Lastly, as a graduate student in Choral Conducting, Mr. Martin has led the ECU Collegiate Choir, comprised mostly of undergraduate voice majors and has also served as a teaching assistant for the ECU University Chorale, leading sectionals and accompanying the choir.  Dale Cox is the 2019 recipient of the the Rhonda Fleming Music Study Scholarship! Dale will be graduating from D.H. Conley High School in Greenville, NC in June and he will be attending East Carolina University in Greenville, NC where he will be majoring in Music Education with an emphasis in instrumental conducting. While Euphonium will be his major instrument, he will continue to sing with the Greenville Choral Society Concert Choir.
 On 3/15/19, a number of students in the GCS Children's Chorus traveled to Charlotte, NC to participate in the Piedmont Invitational Children's Choir Festival with students from all over North Carolina under the direction of clinician, Vincent Oakes. Students rehearsed Friday night and Saturday morning, culminating in a concert on Saturday afternoon at University City United Methodist Church. Congratulations to our super-talented kids that participated!
The Greenville Choral Society will present a combined choirs concert on Saturday, Dec. 15th, at 3:00 PM at The Memorial Baptist Church, Greenville. This diverse program will feature pieces by our Youth Chorale, Children's Chorus, and Bella Voce, followed by the Concert Choir's presentation of Dan Forrest's new work, 'Lux: The Dawn From On High'. The program will finish with a grand rendition of "Ding, Dong, Merrily on High" with all combined choirs and orchestra. You do not want to miss this fantastic concert! Through grants from the Wells Charitable Trust, West Memorial Fund, and James J. and Mamie Richardson Perkins Trust, the concert will be free of charge to the public. Guests are asked to bring stuffed Teddy bears or other stuffed animal for donation to the TEDI BEAR Children’s Advocacy Center.
17th Annual Fundraising Gala, Pirate Follies, at Brook Valley Country Club - Sat. 2/16/1911/19/2018  The Greenville Choral Society will hold its Seventeenth Annual Gala, Pirate Follies on Saturday, February 16, 2019 at 6:00 PM at the Brook Valley Country Club in Greenville, NC. The evening will begin with a social hour with a cash bar and a silent auction, followed by dinner and performances by the Greenville Choral Society Concert Choir, singing favorites from the hilarious Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, Pirates of Penzance, but with a special Greenville flair! You don't want to miss this special event!
Learn more and purchase tickets here. |
