GREETINGS FROM OUR NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & CONDUCTOR

Dear Friends of the Carolina Master Chorale,

Welcome to the 44th season of the Carolina Master Chorale! I am beyond excited to serve as the new Artistic Director & Conductor this year, building on the choir’s past successes and leading us into a new era of joy-filled music-making, community engagement, and musical excellence. I hope that this season, entitled “Sing Joyfully,” will be a fresh start for us all––and an opportunity to turn the page and rebuild as a community and as an ensemble. I also want this season to be a chance to return to what originally made us all fall in love with music and choral singing. So…I will start this year with a question: think back to your first musical/choral moment(s)… what was that original spark that made you fall in love with it, and why do you still sing or support choral singing today? 

For me, choral music has always been about the joy of collective music-making and the community that comes out of that collaborative work. I’ve dedicated my life to creating similar opportunities for others, and I hope to do the same with CMC. In a world that too often feels divided and uncertain, this season reminds us that choosing joy––and raising our voices together––is a powerful act of hope and resilience. We gather, we sing, we collaborate, and we fight back with love, joy, and communal song. 

While we look back for inspiration, I hope we can also look ahead to how the chorale will continue to grow and change. This season, we will introduce new musical experiences (for singers and audience members alike), starting with group auditions this June and August, a “Choose Your Own Adventure” concert in the spring, and the formation of a new select Chamber Ensemble as an extension of the Chorale. This new branch of CMC will include dedicated members who will help represent the Chorale throughout our growing community and bring a new level of musicianship to the Grand Strand. 

Whether you have been a long-time singer or supporter of the Carolina Master Chorale, or, like me, this is your first year with CMC, I invite you to join us for the “Sing Joyfully” season. Sing with us, attend a concert, donate, or volunteer! And, as we continue to grow and learn together as an organization and a community, please reach out. Share your feedback and ideas with the board and with me. Help us make the Carolina Master Chorale a beloved, can’t-miss, required experience in Myrtle Beach.

Thank you for joining me on this adventure. I truly cannot wait to see what we create together!

Musically yours,

Dr. Alyssa J. Cossey 

Artistic Director & Conductor 

Carolina Master Chorale

Email: ajcossey@carolinamasterchorale.com 

Website: www.carolinamasterchorale.com