About CCCS

​The Chester County Choral Society, based in Chester County, Pennsylvania, is a non-profit avocational chorale dedicated to excellence in performing diverse choral music in order to enrich the cultural life of its members, audiences and community.

Founded in 1973 as an ecumenical choir with members drawn from five area church choirs, the Society has grown to include singers from throughout the Delaware Valley.

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Our History

Founded in 1973 as the Exton Chorale, The Chester County Choral Society (CCCS) is a non-profit community chorus of eighty auditioned, volunteer singers from the greater Chester County (Pennsylvania) region, led by a professional director and accompanist.

CCCS is dedicated to excellence in performing diverse choral music, in order to enrich the cultural life of its members, audiences and community.  The Society presents two to three major concerts per year in multiple venues, plus an annual "Dinner and Song" fund- and friend-raiser, featuring solo and small group performances.  A recently formed Chamber Ensemble focuses on advanced a cappellarepertoire for concerts and liturgies.  Members of the Society offer periodic outreach concerts at retirement villages and at community events such as Chester County's Naturalization Ceremonies and West Chester's Old Fashioned Christmas Celebrations.

Through its annual Excellence in Vocal Performance Competition, CCCS encourages young singers in Chester County with competitive monetary awards and performance opportunities.  The Society collaborates periodically with other choirs, soloists, conductors and orchestras, including the Kennett Symphony of Chester County, Ocean City Pops Orchestra, Immaculata Symphony and Westminster Brass Quintet.  CCCS has toured twice in Europe, and by invitation has sung at Bruton Parish Church (colonial Williamsburg) and at the National Cathedral.

CCCS has performed numerous choral masterworks, including Bach's Magnificat, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Brahms' Liebeslieder Walzer, Handel's Messiah, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Saint-Saens' Christmas Oratorio, Thompson's The Testament of Freedom, and Vivaldi's Gloria.  The Society is equally at home with shorter works and lighter fare, including A Gershwin Portrait, A Sentimental Journey Through the 40's, Cinemagic!, Happy Together, and arrangements of musical theatre and popular tunes, folksongs and holiday favorites.
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CCCS has also presented two world premieres by Chester County composers:  David Bennett Thomas' By the Brandywine and Valerie Showers Crescenz' Mass of Peace

Our Mission:

The Chester County Choral Society is an avocational chorale dedicated to excellence in performing diverse choral music, in order to enrich the cultural life of its members, audiences and community.
CCCS believes in:

• Educational programs which inspire and nourish vocal talent among the youth of Chester County;
• Outreach performances which uplift the spirits of residents of the Chester County region;
• Collaborative efforts with professional guest soloists, conductors, orchestras and choirs to enhance the quality of its programming;
• Regular opportunities at rehearsals for singers to improve their musical skills and knowledge.