New choral director, an international tour and a smorgasbord of concerts: MC choral programs prepare for a busy academic year
Sept. 1, 2022
After two years of masked rehearsals, social distancing and limited concert attendance, the combined choral programs at Maryville College are preparing for a celebratory return as the new academic year dawns.
Many of the MC ensembles are already warming up for their season kick-off performances, but one group in particular — the Maryville College-Community Chorus — will assemble under the leadership of a new conductor when rehearsals begin on Tuesday, Sept. 6. Dr. Dwight Dockery ’05, director music at First United Methodist Church of Maryville, has been named as the new director of the choir, made up of both MC students, faculty, staff and members of the larger community.
“I am thrilled to be coming back to Maryville College as a faculty member,” Dockery said. “It is a special place to me, as it is really where I was first formed as a professional musician. As a student, I was a member of the MC Community Chorus, which provided me a chance to learn major works like Handel’s ‘Messiah.’
“Knowing that I get to be part of the great choral tradition here, but on the other side of the podium, is humbling and exciting. I’m especially happy to work with one of my mentors, Stacey Murphy Wilner, director of choral activities, and my dear friend and classmate, Dr. Jennifer Anderson ’05, who will be rehearsal pianist for the group. It is a dream come true, for sure.”
After earning his degree in Music Theory-Composition from MC, Dockery went on to obtain his master’s in Choral Conducting from East Carolina University and a doctorate in Conducting from the University of South Carolina. He has served in various music roles at United Methodist and Presbyterian churches in North and South Carolina, as director of Choral Music at North Carolina Wesleyan College, as conductor of the Concert Choir and the New Carolina Sinfonia of the Greenville (North Carolina) Choral Society and as an instructor of Music Theory and Aural Skills at the University of South Carolina and East Carolina University, where he was also an academic advisor for the ECU School of Music.
The MC Community Chorus, with a membership of more than 50 singers performing a tradition of choral music and frequently collaborating with other MC-related ensembles, will begin rehearsals under Dockery’s guidance at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, in the Harry H. Harter Choral Rehearsal Room of the Clayton Center for the Arts on the MC campus. The two-hour rehearsals are open to all area singers of all talent levels, ages 16 and older. The chorus will combine with the Orchestra at Maryville College for a fall concert at 7 p.m., Nov. 8 in the Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre of the Clayton Center.
“Our first concert will celebrate the thrilling convergence of great words and great music that we get to enjoy as singers,” Dockery said. “I hope to shift into major works that we can perform with some of the wonderful instrumental ensembles here as we go forward. Additionally, we are seeking to rebuild membership following a downturn that has been seen nationwide by choral groups as a result of COVID.
“As more and better vaccines continue to become available and we learn more about the disease, I hope that more and more folks are looking for the opportunity to engage in that fully human activity of singing together.”
Youth choirs
After a two-year hiatus because of COVID-19, MC’s pre-college choral program is ramping back up this academic year as well. The Maryville College Youth Choirs, under the direction of Hannah White Strong ’18, began rehearsals this week and will focus on music fundamentals and the foundations of singing, according to Strong.
“Music Education majors and choir students from Maryville College will be assisting with the groups this year, including Claire Pinkston ’25, Ryne Simmerly ’24, Rosie Simmons ’24 and Elaina Wilson ’24,” Strong said. “The accompanist for the youth choirs this year will be Mary Roark, the Clayton Center assistant box office manager, whose background is in opera and theatre performance. This year’s concerts will be centered around the themes ‘Connection’ and ‘Joy’ — great themes to celebrate our youth choir students returning to campus!”
The ensembles perform fall and spring concerts in the Harold and Jean Lambert Recital Hall of the Clayton Center and include:
- The Scottie Singers, a youth choir for students in grades three through eight that focuses on skill development centered around group singing, healthy performance techniques and voice exploration. Rehearsals take place from 4 to 4:45 p.m. on Tuesdays.
- The Highlander Chorale, a community ensemble for area high school students that counts toward a fine arts credit for home-schooled high schoolers and is also an approved audition ensemble for the East Tennessee Vocal Association’s annual All-East Chorus and All-State Chorus events. Rehearsals take place from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays.
An active performer and educator in the East Tennessee arts community, Strong is the director of Sound Company Children’s Show Choirs in Oak Ridge and was recently tapped as the director of children’s music at New Providence Presbyterian Church in Maryville. She’s also the choral assistant in the Maryville College Division of Fine Arts and works with the East Tennessee General Music Educators Association to advocate for access and inclusion in the arts and plan professional development events.
Strong will lead the Scottie Singers and the Highlander Chorale at their combined fall concert on Nov. 22 in the Lambert Recital Hall of the Clayton Center. Both ensembles, she added, are currently accepting new singers. Parents interested in registering their children for involvement can visit www.maryvillecollege.edu/academics/divisions/fine-arts/choral-programs/youth-choirs/.
MC small ensembles
Maryville College’s SATB (soprano, alto, tenor and bass) ensemble of upper-level students, Off Kilter, will make its season debut at a Small Ensembles Concert at 7 p.m., Oct. 11 in the Lambert Recital Hall. In addition to on-campus performances, Off Kilter is an ambassador organization that showcases the MC choral program at area banquets, conferences and social events. In addition, members of Off Kilter frequently perform as The Lads and Lassies, smaller groups that focus on small ensemble singing and stewardship.
Current and former members of Off Kilter will celebrate the group’s 20th anniversary during Maryville College’s Homecoming Weekend, scheduled for Oct. 21-22. The Off Kilter Reunion Choir will perform at the annual Founder’s Day Banquet and take part in an anniversary event at Broadway Social in downtown Maryville; registration information for Off Kilter alumni who wish to take part can be found on the Homecoming page of the College’s website.
Maryville College Concert Choir
The College’s marquee vocal group, the MC Concert Choir (directed by Wilner), is preparing for an active fall semester and an even busier spring one that will include a tour of Scotland. In addition to anchoring the annual Homecoming Choir Concert at 10:30 a.m., Oct. 22 in the Nutt Theatre, members will take part in the Nov. 5 Invitational Choir Festival and Concert, which will also include choirs from area high schools.
The performance tour of Scotland, which takes place May 10-18, 2023, marks the first time the MC Concert Choir has traveled to the nation that inspired the Scots name since 2016. A 2020 spring tour was canceled due to COVID-19, but the spring sojourn will include a performance with the Heart of Scotland Choir in Stirling; a recital at Stirling Castle; a church service at Ness Bank Church in Inverness; a joint concert at St. Salvator’s Chapel with a choir from St. Andrew’s; a recital at St. Giles Cathedral; and a workshop with Paul Phoenix, frequent MC Division of Fine Arts collaborator and celebrated vocal veteran of the King’s Singers.
In addition, according to Wilner, Dockery and his wife, Shelley Maddox ’05, are organizing a companion tour open to the MC community and the community at large. A public session to gauge interest will be hosted by the international performance travel company Perform-International will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13, in the Harry H. Harter Choral Rehearsal Room of the Clayton Center.
To raise funds for the Concert Choir’s spring tour, Wilner and other choir leaders have set up an “Adopt-a-Singing-Scot” program, through which interested participants can sponsor a member of the choir. For more information, contact stacey.wilner@maryvillecollege.edu or hannah.strong@maryvillecollege.edu.