The Board of Directors of the McDonough Choral Society has announced that Dr. John Orfe has been engaged as the next director of the local choral group, succeeding Susan Shoemaker, who co-founded the group along with her late husband. She retired as director in 2023.
Dr. Orfe holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music and a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from the University of Rochester, as well as Master of Music, Master of Musical Arts, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the Yale School of Music.
Dr. Orfe, who resides in Peoria, has had a distinguished career as a pianist and composer. His compositions have been performed worldwide and have earned praise from The New York Times, LA Weekly, San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe, and Berkshire Fine Arts. And he gained critical acclaim as a piano solo artist and has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Weekly rehearsals for its December concert will begin Monday evening, September 15th, at Wesley United Methodist Church at 7:00 p.m. Anyone wishing to sing with the McDonough Choral Society is encouraged to attend the first rehearsal, when music will be distributed. All vocal ranges are welcome.
The McDonough Choral Society has been providing the greater McDonough County community with performances of classical and modern choral music for over twenty years. Anyone with questions can feel free to email Lynn Johanson, MCS's board president, at [email protected].
