{"id":422,"date":"2016-08-22T20:37:33","date_gmt":"2016-08-23T00:37:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/heritagechorale.org\/wordpress\/?page_id=422"},"modified":"2026-10-24T15:13:54","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T19:13:54","slug":"proud-tradition","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/heritagechorale.org\/wp2\/?page_id=422","title":{"rendered":"Proud Tradition"},"content":{"rendered":"

PROUD TRADITION<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

HERITAGE CHORALE
\nMusic Directors<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/h6>\n

Steven Lipsitt is the most recent in a long line of outstanding directors who have helped the Chorale thrive for more than eight decades.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

1938 \u2013 1957; 1958 \u2013 1964<\/span>
\nDr. Edward Gilday
\nFounder<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

1957 \u2013 1958; 1964 \u2013 1966<\/span>
\nAllen Lannom<\/span><\/p>\n

1966 \u2013 1973<\/span>
\nJohn Oliver<\/span><\/p>\n

1973 \u2013 1974<\/span>
\nRobert Gronquist <\/span><\/p>\n

1974 \u2013 1983; 1984 \u2013 1985\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nChristopher Carlson <\/span><\/p>\n

1985 \u2013 1987\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nPhilip Moss <\/span><\/p>\n

1983 \u2013 1984; 1987 \u2013 2020\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nJohn Finney
\nMusic Director and Conductor Emeritus<\/em>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

2020<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 <\/span>
\nSteven Lipsitt\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

90 Years Young<\/b><\/h1>\n

The Heritage Chorale celebrates its 90th season in 2026\u20132027. Originally named the Framingham Choral Society, the Chorale was founded in the fall of 1937 by a small group of Framingham residents on a budget of just $62! Ever since, except for a brief time during World War II, the Chorale has rehearsed and performed in Framingham and nearby communities. Throughout the Covid years, members continued their singing<\/span>\u2014rehearsing via Zoom and performing with masks.<\/span> The size of the Chorale has fluctuated from 40 to 100 singers, but our resolve to share music of the highest quality with each other and our communities has never wavered.<\/span><\/p>\n

During its long history, the Chorale has performed a wide range of classical and contemporary choral works. In its earliest seasons, annual productions of Handel\u2019s <\/span>Messiah<\/span><\/i> drew sell-out audiences. Over the years, we have showcased magnificent classical music by composers such as Brahms, Haydn, and Mozart, while expanding the Chorale\u2019s repertoire to embrace contemporary works by Morten Lauridsen, Daniel Pinkham, and Randall Thompson, the diverse and powerful music of women composers, and music from around the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

During the 2025\u20132026 season this tradition of musical variety continued. The fall concert featured Mozart\u2019s <\/span>Requiem<\/span><\/i>, paired with selections from Handel\u2019s <\/span>Ode for St. Cecilia\u2019s Day<\/span><\/i>. The spring concert, <\/span>America at 250 \u2013 Of Thee We Sing<\/span><\/i>, celebrated American ideals of liberty and hope through music honoring the nation\u2019s heritage. Highlights included Randall Thompson\u2019s <\/span>Testament of Freedom<\/span><\/i>, based on writings by Thomas Jefferson, and the world premiere of a cantata inspired by the writings of Helen Keller by local composer Leonardo Ciampa.<\/span><\/p>\n

In February 1988, the Chorale began an annual tradition of presenting lighter musical fare\u2014a Pops-style program often built around a theme and featuring popular selections from opera, movies, and musical theater.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recent winter Pops concerts have delighted audiences. \u201cCome Out and Play!\u201d (2024) brought together songs ranging from <\/span>Moonlight in Vermont<\/span><\/i> to <\/span>For Good<\/span><\/i>, and <\/span>You Will Be Found<\/span><\/i> to S<\/span>tand by Me<\/span><\/i>. \u201cAround the World<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/i> (2025) celebrated the international reach of music. The 2026 program, \u201cPage to Stage \u2013 A Literary Journey,\u201d explored the connection between literature and musical theater, featuring selections from Broadway shows inspired by stories and literary works, including <\/span>Into the Woods<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Guys and Dolls<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Godspell<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Man of La Mancha<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Ragtime<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Candide<\/span><\/i>, and <\/span>Oliver!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Anniversary Celebrations\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Under Music Director Steven Lipsitt, the Chorale celebrates its remarkable history while continuing to explore the breadth and enduring power of choral music. This 90th milestone season offers an especially rich program of concerts. The fall concert pairs Haydn\u2019s <\/span>Missa in Angustiis<\/span><\/i> (\u201cLord Nelson\u201d Mass) with two of Handel\u2019s Coronation Anthems. <\/span>The Winter Pops concert\u2014\"90 Years, By George!\"\u2014celebrates the music of George Gershwin, who passed away in the year of our founding, but whose music lives on.<\/span>\u00a0 The spring concert features Bruckner\u2019s <\/span>Mass in E minor<\/span><\/i> and selected works by American composers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Chorale celebrated its 75th anniversary during the 2011\u20132012 season. Looking back to 1937, we recalled the year when U.S. Steel raised workers\u2019 wages to $5 a day, Margaret Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for Gone with the Wind, Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific, the Red Sox acquired the contract of 19-year-old Ted Williams, and Dr. Edward Gilday founded the Framingham Choral Society, now known as the Heritage Chorale.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then we looked forward to three exciting concerts and special anniversary events.<\/span><\/p>\n

The fall concert featured Mendelssohn\u2019s <\/span>Lobgesang<\/span><\/i>, in collaboration with Boston College\u2019s Symphony Orchestra. The Pops Diamond Jubilee Concert presented hit songs from the Chorale\u2019s anniversary years: 1937, 1962, 1987, and 2012. The spring concert featured a performance of Carl Orff\u2019s much-loved <\/span>Carmina Burana<\/span><\/i>, accompanied by a small professional ensemble of piano and percussion.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, Chorale members attended a choral workshop in October and an end-of-the-year social event in May. A concert tour to Montr\u00e9al and Qu\u00e9bec City rounded out a very special anniversary season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Collaborations<\/b><\/h2>\n

Collaborations expand the Chorale\u2019s opportunities for artistic partnership and musical discovery, while bringing the joy of choral music to audiences throughout the area.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2015, the Chorale collaborated with Monroe Crossing, one of America\u2019s finest bluegrass bands, to present <\/span>The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass<\/span><\/i> by Carol Barnett. Later that same year, the Chorale presented John Rutter\u2019s rarely heard <\/span>Mass of the Children<\/span><\/i> in collaboration with VOICES Boston, the superb children\u2019s chorus that frequently performs with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Chorale\u2019s \u201cShakespeare and Friends\" program in 2016 was a collaboration with the Handel and Haydn Society\u2019s Young Women\u2019s Chorus (YWC), directed by Alyson Greer.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Chorale has also partnered with area orchestras to perform such major pieces as Mahler\u2019s <\/span>Symphony No. 2<\/span><\/i> and Brahms\u2019 <\/span>A German Requiem<\/span><\/i> with the New Philharmonia Orchestra, Beethoven\u2019s <\/span>Ninth Symphony<\/span><\/i> with the Wellesley Symphony Orchestra, and Mendelssohn\u2019s <\/span>Lobgesang<\/span><\/i> with the Boston College Symphony Orchestra.<\/span><\/p>\n

In March 2027, the Chorale joins the Rivers Symphony Orchestra for Beethoven\u2019s Ninth Symphony \u201cFinale, \u2018Ode to Joy,\u2019\u201d and Handel\u2019s Coronation Anthems.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Concert Tours<\/b><\/h2>\n

In July 2010, the Chorale embarked on its first concert tour, performing in Vienna, Austria, and Prague, Czech Republic, as well as at Melk Abbey.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the summer of 2012, the Chorale traveled to Canada on a tour of Montr\u00e9al and Qu\u00e9bec City.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Chorale\u2019s most recent international tour took place from June 29 to July 6, 2015, when singers traveled to Ireland for concerts in Galway, Derry, and Dublin.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PROUD TRADITION HERITAGE CHORALE Music Directors Steven Lipsitt is the most recent in a long line of outstanding directors who have helped the Chorale thrive for more than eight decades. 1938 \u2013 1957; 1958 \u2013 1964 Dr. Edward Gilday Founder 1957 \u2013 1958; 1964 \u2013 1966 Allen Lannom 1966 \u2013 1973 John Oliver 1973 \u2013 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"home-panels.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-422","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","post"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t