A 75-Year History of Making Beautiful Music in Westchester

For those old enough, can you think of anything you’ve done for 45 years? Not many people can answer yes. But, Harriet Fibel certainly can! She has been singing with the Westchester Choral Society for that length of time and is still going strong – with no plan to stop.

New Rochelle’s Fibel joined WCS in 1972. After searching for a chorus to join, she found the Westchester Philharmonic Choral Society, auditioned and was accepted. She is one of the few current members who recall when the Society’s name was changed to Westchester Choral Society. That was in 1977, and rehearsals were held in a church in White Plains.

Since 2001, the rehearsals have been held at the Music Conservatory of Westchester on Central Avenue, where WCS is the chorus in residence. Many of the members, like Harriet, have been with the chorus for many years: Numa Rousseve from White Plains joined in 1975; Dot Young from Mt. Kisco in 1988. Since then any number of lawyers, librarians, doctors, artists, scientists, writers, tennis players, teachers and bird watchers have joined the chorus, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. It is Westchester County’s oldest, continuously performing chorus and was recognized with the Westchester Arts Council’s prestigious Year 2000 Arts Organization Award as the county’s premier choral organization.

The Anniversary Concert on May 13 at White Plains Presbyterian Church features Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, a scenic cantata composed in 1935 and 1936, based on 24 poems from the medieval collection Carmina Burana, including the very well known "O Fortuna.” Its repertoire includes works from Baroque to contemporary, such as Bach’s Cantatas, Beethoven’s Symphony #9 in D minor, Handel’s Messiah, Bartok’s Hungarian and Slovak folk songs, Irving Berlin’s Unforgettable Broadway and Alice Parker’s American Hymns and Songs.

The chorus’ 60 singers are known for their warmth and friendliness and tradition of presenting two concerts each season to audiences in Westchester and nearby communities. They support the Westchester community with a yearly program of holiday music for patients at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital. WCS also sponsors annual Summer Sings open to all at the Music Conservatory. In addition, members have shared their musical talent at nursing homes and other venues.

Highlights from its history include:

• Sang Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in Carnegie Hall
• Performed in a concert honoring Aaron Copland’s 85th birthday, with Copland in attendance
• Sang at swearing-in of Congresswoman Nita Lowey
• Won a $10,000 cash prize from Pepsi for a video submitted for a jingle contest
• Performed Off Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop in The Events, a play based on the Anders Breivik massacre of youth in Norway that was a prize-winning entry at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
• Sung with Greenwich Choral Society and the Fairfield County Chorale to present larger works with full orchestra

The award-winning Westchester Choral Society was founded by Sarah Stewart Bowne in 1942. To learn more, visit www.westchesterchoralsociety.org. for more information.