About Us
Mission Statement
The Metropolitan Chorale seeks to enrich the lives of its members and the community by mastering and performing excellent choral music. We deliver entertainment and education through eclectic programs which feature familiar classics as well as works of contemporary composers. We unite music lovers, cultivate love for the arts, and above all, have fun by celebrating life through song.
About the Chorale
The Metropolitan Chorale welcomes you to come sing again! Comprising singers from Iowa’s Cedar Valley, the Chorale annually performs two major concerts and frequently joins with other area arts organizations to build community through musical collaboration. It is a warm and welcoming ensemble dedicated to singing that moves audiences.
An organization of committed amateur and professional vocalists under the direction of a professional director, the Metropolitan Chorale was originally founded as the Waterloo Choral Association in 1954 as a vehicle for local singers to gather and sing G.F. Handel’s Messiah. Since that time, the level of musicianship and breadth of musical ventures has grown steadily. The Chorale has developed into one of the region’s premiere large choral groups, ranging from 40 to 75 singers. Members come from many parts of the Cedar Valley and many walks of life — doctors, farmers, engineers, factory workers, retirees, college students, educators gather to enjoy and refine vocal art. Past concerts featured masterworks such as Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach’s Mass in B Minor, Mozart’s Requiem, Forrest’s Jubilate Deo, Haydn’s Creation, Handel’s Messiah, Dvorak’s and Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Fauré’s Requiem, and Orff’s Carmina Burana. The chorale also introduces its members and audiences to powerful works by contemporary composers from around the world.
Proud to be part of the vibrant arts community growing in the Cedar Valley, the Metropolitan Chorale welcomes new members, new collaborators, and new audiences to experience the power of singing together.
History of the Chorale
The Metropolitan Chorale's beginning evolved from an annual presentation of Messiah sponsored by the Waterloo Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. A group of singers from this chorus organized and drew up the Articles of Incorporation, dated 1954, for the Waterloo Choral Association. Members of the original board of directors were Margaret Dravis, Clarice Kendall, John Geary, Virginia Phelps, Betty Mitchell, Edward Johnston, and Horace Dagett. Article II of this document states: "The purpose of this corporation shall be to provide an opportunity for vocalists in Waterloo and surrounding communities to perform varied works of choral literature for themselves and the general public." This purpose statement guides the Chorale today.
The membership is drawn from the communities of Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Waverly, Hudson, La Porte City, Reinbeck, Denver, Dike, Janesville, Readlyn, Independence, Raymond, and Winthrop. Because of the broad base of its membership, the name of the organization was changed to Metropolitan Chorale in 1974. Various professions are represented in its membership.
The Chorale has had sixteen conductors in its 69 years of existence: Mathys Abas, Charles Matheson, John Evenson, David Smalley, Les Hale, Joseph Guinta, Graeme Cowen, Patricia Cahalan, Ronald Ross, Gerald Kreitzer, Sandra Frey Stegman, Paul Torkelson, Weston Noble, Lee Nelson, Amy Kotsonis, and our current director, Ryan Occeña.
Originally founded and funded under the auspices of the Waterloo Recreation and Arts Commission, this organization is now fully self-supported and all contributions are fully tax-deductible. The dedicated volunteer membership pays yearly dues, buys their own music, and a volunteer Board of Directors takes care of all concert arrangements. Support also comes through generous contributions of community individuals and businesses. Grants have been received recently from Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, and Guernsey Foundation.