Individual Dedication, Collective Artistry
A History of The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
The Cleveland Orchestra consistently garners praise for its highly-cultivated sound and style—and rightfully so—but there is one element of performance that too-often escapes notice: the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus. Few world-class orchestras experience the pleasure of performing with their own chorus. For many other orchestras, orchestral-choral works require hiring or contracting an external group, leading to inconsistent styles and varying degrees of success. The Cleveland Orchestra, however, reaps the benefits of an in-house, all-volunteer chorus. For seventy years, The Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus partnered to create exquisite and impassioned performances, but the Chorus underwent many changes to bring the audience the sound they expect today.
Creating a Chorus
Almost as soon as Adella Prentiss Hughes established The Cleveland Orchestra, the desire for a consistent chorus arose. Adella wanted to use local singers for a volunteer chorus and promptly published a call-for-singers in a program in October of 1920. Unfortunately, this chorus quickly disbanded, and the Orchestra returned to collaborating with external groups, such as university choirs, glee clubs, and church ensembles.
There was another attempt in 1931 to establish a standing chorus to be called the Cleveland Philharmonic Chorus. Again, however, it was ultimately dissolved, and the Orchestra returned to external collaborations. These consistent attempts at establishing a permanent chorus demonstrate an understanding of the importance of unified musical direction, but the administrative work necessary to maintain a chorus is formidable—even if the vocalists are graciously volunteering their time. In 1950, the desire for a chorus arose again, but this time, the Orchestra was more established and had a fearless conductor with a clear vision.
Critics have often praised George Szell (music director, 1946-70) for raising the status of The Cleveland Orchestra, and part of his vision was to bolster the Orchestra’s sound with a consistent, stellar chorus. In the fall of 1950, Szell attended a meeting for Cleveland Orchestra Trustees to plead for a standing chorus, believing that performing more choral works would entice a larger portion of the Cleveland public. In the spring of 1951, Szell conducted Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony as a trial run for a volunteer chorus, and all in attendance were thrilled with the results. Finally, there was a shared understanding between all parties that if The Cleveland Orchestra were to be a consistent powerhouse, a standing chorus would help to elevate it further. In 1952, the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, as we understand it today, was created.
Initially, there was no official role of “Director of Choruses.” Russell L. Gee and Robert (Bob) M. Stofer organized the ensemble for a modest stipend, though they did receive conducting credit on programs. Gee and Stofer, organists and choir directors in other capacities in the Cleveland area, proved they were up to the task. In the late spring of 1953, the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus finally sang its debut under the baton of Szell with Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem. Though the press barely mentioned the chorus for this premiere, the singers’ merits shone through, and a tradition had begun. However, the ever-ambitious Szell wanted to push the chorus further and started searching for a more established choral conductor.
Finding Their Voice: The Robert Shaw Era (1956-67)
Until 1956, the chorus continued to be prepared by Gee, Stofer, and associate conductor Rudolph Ringwall, but Szell aspired to make a stronger name and aesthetic for his vocal forces. He selected the best man for the job: Robert Shaw. In 1956, Shaw replaced Ringwall as associate conductor, with Gee and Stofer remaining as consultants. Under Shaw’s leadership, the chorus “finally met Szell’s exacting standards.”
Before coming to Cleveland, Robert Shaw’s reputation as a choral conductor and mentor was already well-established. Shaw founded two of his own ensembles (the Collegiate Chorale and the Robert Shaw Chorale) by his early thirties before becoming San Diego Symphony’s music director in 1953. A few years later, Szell asked him to join the conducting forces of The Cleveland Orchestra, and Shaw excitedly accepted, stating, “I want to build the best chorus in the United States.” Shaw’s reputation certainly brought out the best to auditions in Cleveland: 1800 singers signed up for tryouts, 240 received an invite to rehearsal, and the 200 singers who showed up early to rehearsal became Shaw’s ensemble.
Shaw fostered an exacting yet warm atmosphere. According to Distinguished Service Award recipient and longtime chorister Gerald [Jerry] Hughes, Shaw “knew precisely what he wanted. And could communicate that to us very well.” For Shaw, “the spirit of the piece was always the most important thing,” shown through clear text and a warm, blended sound. Consider Leonard Bernstein’s technically challenging Chichester Psalms conducted by Shaw himself to hear the classic Shaw style.
Always a mentor, Shaw would write near-weekly letters to the chorus with quasi-sermons on musical meaning and background information on the composers and pieces from the season. Choristers saw him as a humble man who acted in service to the music in any capacity. He envisioned the choir as a singular organism, and this call for unity helped form the backbone of this all-volunteer chorus. Though almost all the choristers had some form of musical training, very few of these singers chose music as a vocation. Shaw’s leadership fostered an environment of equality, turning a group of passionate volunteers with dramatically varying life experiences into a cohesive unit with shared aural and storytelling aims. Before moving on from Cleveland in 1967 to work for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Shaw established another legacy by founding the Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Chorus (COCC) in 1966. The chorus had found its voice during his tenure, but the search was on for a new leader.
Changing of the Guard: Clayton Henry Krehbiel (1967-69) and Margaret Hillis (1969-71)
The next few years marked a period of transition for both The Cleveland Orchestra and its chorus. Szell passed away in 1970, but guest directors and associate conductors such as Louis Lane and Pierre Boulez helped keep the Orchestra’s carefully cultivated sound alive until Lorin Maazel joined. Similarly, Clayton Henry Krehbiel and Margaret Hillis supported Shaw’s choral legacy until the next more permanent director of choruses.
Clayton Henry Krehbiel originally came to the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus in 1966 as an assistant for Shaw but knew him from earlier through his work as a tenor soloist and assistant conductor with the Robert Shaw Chorale. He came with Shaw’s highest recommendation: “Clayton Krehbiel is a superb choral craftsman, unsurpassed – in my opinion – in the United States.” Krehbiel inaugurated the role of “director of choruses” and did much to preserve Shaw’s vocal stylings.
Krehbiel was an established singer and educator in his own right, having performed with numerous radio and television ensembles along with faculty positions at esteemed universities. Choristers note that he was a wonderfully kind and enthusiastic director. Krehbiel only stayed for two years, but even though his tenure was short, he still helped create stirring music. His sensitivity is evident through the chorus’s sound in this 1969 performance of Brahms’ Requiem.
Margaret Hillis, a trailblazer in the realm of women conductors, followed Krehbiel and served The Cleveland Orchestra through Szell’s final season and the following transitory years. She founded the Chicago Symphony Chorus in 1957, was the first woman to conduct the Chicago Symphony itself, and later formed the American Choral Foundation. Hillis, like Krehbiel, had a Shaw connection: she studied choral conducting under Shaw at Julliard, eventually serving as his assistant.
According to Hughes, Hillis was “very respected, very serious.” Though she did not stay with the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus long, she continued Shaw’s legacy to the utmost. Notice the strength of sound of the chorus she prepared for Beethoven’s Ninth under the baton of guest conductor Eugene Ormandy. Newspaper critic James Felton notes the chorus was “trained splendidly by Margaret Hillis” for a “hair-raising finale,” which earned a standing ovation.
A New Reign: The Robert Page Era (1971-89)
At the recommendation of Hillis and Ormandy, Robert Page joined The Cleveland Orchestra as the new director of choruses, eventually serving under two music directors: Lorin Maazel and Christoph von Dohnányi. Page’s almost two-decades-long tenure brought in a new era of respect for the chorus and expectations of quality. A journalist noted that Page somehow “improved a Robert Shaw choir” throughout his nearly three-hundred performances with the chorus.
Page was a self-described country boy from Texas but started building his reputation through his work with Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He was a natural teacher – just like Shaw – and would even pull people from the chorus individually (especially if they missed a rehearsal) to check their understanding and progress. Longtime chorus member Ann Marie Hardulak claims that Page “[brought] more energy to a rehearsal than anyone I’ve ever met in my entire life.” Musically, Page was a “crisp” director and the “king of diction.” His preparation led to a Grammy win for the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus’s performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana in 1974.
In a chorus newsletter, Robert Page admiringly addresses his singers: “Terms such as ‘devotion’ and ‘commitment’ are strangers to the vocabularies of a lot of people, but not for the COC; to you, these terms are daily jargon.” Page rekindled the sense of loyalty, musicianship, and discipline first fully established by Robert Shaw. His oft-quoted slogan of DWR, or “do what was rehearsed,” indicates a chorus that knows its worth and value. After nearly twenty years, Page felt ready to move on, and Dohnányi needed to find a new director of choruses.
Intoning Perfection: The Gareth Morrell Era (1989-98)
Dohnányi selected a well-respected figure with whom he had worked before with the BBC Symphony Chorus: Gareth Morrell. Part of the conducting staff at the Metropolitan Opera, Morrell began his career overseas in England, initially as a singing coach for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Then and now, musicians admire Morrell for his precise ear and attention to detail. Choristers recall his intonation drills, and Hardulak praises this skill by claiming, “he taught us how to hear.” Morrell also founded the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus (COYC) in 1991, which continues to this day.
Along with pointed intonation work, Morrell was known during his tenure for his definitive English style of performance, which entails a lighter and brighter sound. Under his training, the chorus traveled to Europe to perform William Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast in a combined chorus under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle, who praised the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus forces as being “rich and gutsy and generous” in an interview. To hear Morrell’s light, precise sound, listen to this 1994 performance of the final movement of Zoltan Kodály’s Psalmus Hungaricus
Returning to Shaw’s Legacy: The Robert Porco Era (1998-2017)
Following Morrell’s departure in 1998, Dohnányi again needed to find a new director of choruses and smartly suggested Robert [Bob] Porco. Porco had experience with opera, choruses, and orchestras, as well as academic expertise through his faculty positions at Indiana University. All these skills combined to create a powerhouse director of choruses.
Franz Welser-Möst was named The Cleveland Orchestra’s music director in 2002 and wanted “warmth and depth” in his choruses; Porco was happy to oblige as Shaw’s legacy was a deep influence on Porco’s style. Porco additionally aimed to have a “more disciplined” ensemble with “a well-unified and beautiful sound, a full, supported vocal sound.” Even by 2003, his desired sound is evident in Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem, conducted under the baton of Welser-Möst.
Porco served as director of choruses for nineteen years – the longest tenure of that position. During this time, he prepared or conducted the choruses through 150 programs over nearly 600 performances. These performances spanned far beyond Severance Music Center, including Carnegie Hall and concerts with the Orchestra in Frankfurt, Paris, and Luxembourg – to name only a few. Current director of choruses Lisa Wong praises Porco: "Bob's passion for excellence is limitless, and he has always been incredibly generous with his time when working with singers and students. His students now conduct orchestras and choruses all over the world, continuing his indelible legacy. He led the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus with a seriousness of purpose, always aiming to serve the music in the best way possible." Although Porco is no longer with The Cleveland Orchestra, he remains active nearby as an educator and as director of choruses with the May Festival in Cincinnati.
Continuing the Tradition: The Lisa Wong Era (2017-today)
Porco’s departure in 2017 sparked another transitional period. Fortunately, Lisa Wong was able to step in as acting director throughout the 2017-18 season after already serving as assistant director of choruses and the director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus. Wong – an active educator, guest conductor, and advocate for culturally responsive and inclusive music – officially became director of choruses in 2018. Under Wong’s direction, “the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus continued their upward trajectory of excellence” in its lauded performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang in March of 2020. Cleveland audiences had not heard the chorus perform with the Orchestra in a regular subscription concert for some time, but this dry spell was finally broken on the opening weekend concert of the 2022-23 season when the musicians joined forces for Gustav Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony.
With seventy years of history, the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus is a firmly established part of The Cleveland Orchestra legacy, emphasized by the awarding of the Distinguished Service Award to the chorus in 2020. The chorus members volunteer an estimated collective 30,000 hours each year, and The Cleveland Orchestra’s reputation is a credit to their work. Though directorial and musical styles have changed throughout the chorus’s history, the singers’ commitment and passion remain.
