History of Edmond Community Chorale

Celebrating 20 years of "Choral Art for the Community"

The Edmond Community Chorale (ECC) was founded in the fall of 1988 by Dr. Lon Dehnert.  Earlier that year, Dr. Dehnert, the the Director of Choral Studies at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO), has been approached regarding the opportunity for his ensembles to perform with the world-renowned conductor and composer, John Rutter.  Dr. Dehnert had plans to create a community choir in Edmond, as one had not existed for over 17 years.  seeing this as the perfect opportunity, he reached out to university students and staff as well as church choirs to seek members for the new Edmond Community Chorale.

With approximately twenty members, ECC held its first concert in the fall of 1988, performing Gloria by Francis Poulenc.   This would be the first of many concerts where ECC would combine voices with UCO choirs to perform a major work, such as Gloria, in the UCO Masterworks Concert.   During;g the first year, a Board of Directors was created, bylaws were written and the group applied for and received incorporation and 501(c)(3) status as a non-profit organization.

In the spring of 1989, members of the ECC had the unique opportunity to travel to New York City to perform in Carnegie Hall under the direction of John Rutter.  approximately 250 singer from choirs throughout the United States joined with the Manhattan Symphony Orchestra to perform Rutter's Requiem.

Founded as a town & gown (community and university) choral ensemble, ECC was created to provide a high quality musical experience for singer in Edmond and the greater metropolitan area.  Membership is open to any singer who loves high quality choral music and has the ability to match pitch; there are no auditions, however, some prior chorale experience is helpful. During any given season it would not be unusual to see a teenager sitting and singing next to an eighty year old. This is part of what makes ECC what it is.

During the last 20 seasons (a typical season, August to May), the Chorale performed two major concerts, the first one in December and the second one as part of the Masterworks Concert at the UCO in the spring. In addition to those concerts, the ECC sings for the Mayor’s Tree Lighting and Essay Awards Ceremony in Edmond and several other community events. The December concert typically includes a major work (i.e. Vivaldi’s Gloria, Handel’s Messiah, etc.), along with settings of familiar Christmas works to fill out the program.

As part of the Masterworks Concert, the group has performed works such as, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Requiems by Brahms, Rutter and Mozart, Saint-Saëns’ Christmas Oratorio, Poulenc’s Gloria, Randall Thompson’s Testament of Freedom and Peaceable Kingdom, and numerous others. For these concerts, the ECC has used soloists from around the United States and Oklahoma including the New York baritone, Ian Geller, Florida soprano, Meredith Hanebutt and the Texas soprano Julie McCoy. These soloists have sung with the UCO orchestra, the Oklahoma Community Orchestra, members of the Oklahoma City Symphony and, in New York’s Carnegie Hall, with the Manhattan Symphony, Orchestra under the baton of John Rutter.  On occasion, the ECC is joined by other local community choirs including the Midwest Choral Society and the Norman Community Choral Society.

In addition to concerts in and around Edmond and the concert in New Your City, members if ECC have had the opportunity to perform abroad.  In the spring of 1999, ECC performed in the 2nd International Festival of Choirs in Siena, Italy.  In addition to Sieva, this tour took ECC members to the beautiful Italian cities of Rome, Spoleto, Florence and Venice.  Two years later, in the spring of 2001, ECC traveled to Ireland and England to perform Beethoven's Choral Fantasy, Young's Missa Brevis, and a collection of American folk music.

In the spring of 2008, we gathered to celebrate the music and history of the Edmond Community Chorale, we also commemorate the devoted service of our founder, Dr. Lon Dehnert.  It was his vision that lead us to this milestone concert.  That evening, Dr. Dehnert conducted his last concert as the official Artistic Director of the Edmond Community Chorale.  After twenty great years, Dr. Dehnert has relocated to Lawrence, KS and eventual retirement is his next adventure.

As the Edmond Community Chorale embanks on its next twenty years, it is our pleasure to welcome our new Artistic Director, Dr. Karl Nelson.  Since August 2006, Dr. Nelson has served as the Director of Choral Studies at UCO where he conducts Cantilena, Chamber Singers, and Concert Chorale. ; In addition, Dr. Nelson serves as the Associate Director of Music Ministries at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Oklahoma City.  ECC had the opportunity to work with Dr. Nelson in the spring of 2007 when he conducted the UCO Masterworks concert, performing Mozart's Requiem in d minor.  We welcome Dr. Nelson and his family to the Edmond Community Chorale family.

We marked the 20th Anniversary Concert with encore performances of selections the Chorale has performed over the past 20 years.  Blaine Lea, Founding Vice President of Franklin Covey Company, said that "great leaders are like the best conductors - they reach beyond the notes to reach the magic in the players".