History

Upcoming Schedule History Time Line

The Orange Park Chorale was founded in 1993 by Dr. Carole Clifford as a performance and education organization for the promotion of the choral arts in Clay County and the surrounding Northeast Florida area.

Since the Fall of 1993, the chorale has presented a minimum of four concerts per year.  Works performed have included masses by Randall Thompson and Robert Ray, Glorias by Vivaldi and Rutter, and requiems by Brahms, Faure and Durufle, along with a variety of other choral music both sacred and secular.

The chorale takes special pride in performing works of living American composers.  At least one work each year is chosen with this goal in mind.

Upcoming Schedule

History Time Line:

• 2010

  • March

    • Spring Concert:  "The Music of Glibert & Sullivan"

  2009

  • November

    • Fall Concert:  "With a Single Step"

  • March

    • Spring Concert:  "Why We Sing - Part 2"

• 2008

  • December

    • Christmas Concert:  "Clay County Christmas"

  • November

    • Fall Concert:  "Why We Sing"

  • April

    • Schubert's MASS IN G and show tunes from a Broadway Legend!

• 2007

  • November

    • “Celebrate Children” - Jacksonville premier of MASS OF THE CHILDREN by John Rutter

  • April

    • “Music for Lent” featuring REQUIEM by Gabriel Faure

  • March

    • A Community Choral Festival with The Jacksonville Children’s Chorus 

    • The Jacksonville Masterworks Chorale

    • The Don Thompson Chorale

    • The North Florida Women’s Chorale

• 2006

  • March

    • “Music: The Magic Behind the Movies”

  • November

    • “Music of Local Composers”  featuring music of

      • Andrew Clarke

      • Jim Hart,

      • Kristin Jewell

      • Ed Lein

      • Peter Mathews

      • Gary Smart

      • Lee Turner

      • Howard Tappan

• 2005

  • November
    • Invitational Choral Festival with Composer and Director C Mark Hayes 
  • April
    • “Children of Eden” by Stephen Schwartz

• 2004

  • November
    • “Come to the Faire” (A concert of Madrigals and Anthems)

  • May

    • "Requiem" by John Rutter.

    • 
      The Orange Park Chorale combined with Jacksonville Masterworks Chorale
       for two performances of  John Rutter's REQUIEM in May 2004 - Click to enlarge

  • April

    • "And So It Goes" Part II  (The 10 Year Celebration Continues)

• 2003

  • November

    • "And So It Goes" Part I (A 10 Year Celebration)

  • March

    • Folk songs of the world.

• 2002

  • November

    • "We Remember Them" - The Holocaust Cantata

  • May

    • I Hear America Singing

• 2001

  • November

    • A Gospel Extravaganza

  • March & April

    • OPC Pops again

    • Music from the 1930's through 1960's including music of:

      • Gershwin

      • Hoagy Carmichael

      • Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story

    • and a tribute to the Beatles

• 2000

  • December:

    • Christmas 2000 concert entitled These Gifts We Bring

  • March & April

    • OPC does the POPS

    • Various selections in keeping with the year 2000 theme by

      • Cole Porter

      • Woody Herman

      • John Sebastian

      • Paul Simon

      • A 100 Year Tribute to Broadway

  • June

    • Sing for the Cure

    • Participation as the East Coast Chorus Representative in the National Prmiere of Sing for the Cure, as commissioned by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Turtlecreek Chorale and Dallas Women's Chorus

• 1999

  • March

    • Spring Concerts

      • Frostiana by Randall Thompson

      • Gloria by John Rutter

      • A Song of Thanksgiving by Vaughan Williams

      • Guest Choral Appearance:

        • Jacksonville Children's Chorus

  • March & April

    • Tour by the Orange Park Choral Ensemble

      • 15 performances of Gospel Mass by Robert Ray in various sponsored locations, including the C Edward Bryan Arts Series

  • October

    • Release of the first CD Highlights from 1999

  • November & December

    • Celebrate 2000:

      • As time Goes By

        • Various selections centering on the passage of time for the year 2000 by:

          • Rutter

          • Staheli

          • Grotenhuis

          • Croce

          • Farrier

          • Yarrow

          • and others including the National Premiere of Carpe Diem by John S Armstrong

• 1998

  • April & May

    • Spring Concerts

      • Gospel Mass by Robert Ray

      • Tribute to area composers:

        • Dr Howard Tappan

        • Jim Taylor

        • Edward Lein

        • Doug Allison

        • Andrew Clarke

  • November

    • Heritage Concerts

      • Various selections of the Christian & Jewish faiths

• 1997

  • March

    • Spring Lenten Concerts

      • Requiem by Maurice Durufle

  • June

    • Invited to become a Member of CHORUS AMERICA, the National Association of Professional Choral Ensembles

  • November

    • Music of the Theater

      • Various selections by

        • Mozart

        • Mascagni

        • Copland

        • Rodgers

        • Cohan

        • Kander

        • Lloyd Webber

• 1996

  • March

    • Spring Lenten Concerts

      •  Mass in G, Number 2 by Franz Schubert

      • Requiem by Gabriel Faure

  • November

    • Fall Concerts

• 1995

  • March

    • Spring Lenten Concerts

      • Requiem by Johannes Brahms

  • November

    • Fall Concerts

      • Frostiana by Randall Thompson

      • Shakespeare Songs by Matthew Harris

      • Gloria by John Rutter

• 1994

  • March

    • Spring Lenten Concerts

      • Mass of the Holy Spirit by Randall Thompson

  • November

    • Fall Concerts

      • Various selections by

        • Jean Berger

        • Randall Thompson

        • Mark Hayes

        • Ralph Hunter

        • Stephen Sondheim

        • George Gershwin

• 1993

  • November

    • Inaugural Concert

      • Gloria by Vivaldi

      • A Song of Thanksgiving by Vaughan Williams

  Revised: November 11, 2010