Washington and Lee University, University Library Special Collections and Archives
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Use
The materials from Washington and Lee University Special Collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used should be fully credited with the source. Permission for publication of this material, in part or in full, must be secured with the Head of Special Collections.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation
Friends of the Rockbridge Choral Society Collection, WLU Coll 0791, Special Collections and Archives, James G. Leyburn Library, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia.
Biographical / Historical
Formed in 1976, the Rockbridge Choral Society is a community chorus of amateur singers performing in and around the historic town of Lexington in the lower Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Its performances are frequently augmented by a professional chamber orchestra and soloists with instrumentalists and singers from across the region and the country. The Rockbridge Choral Society is the parent organization for the Rockbridge Chorus, the Rockbridge Youth Chorale and the Rockbridge Chamber Singers. Together, these groups bring to the area's audiences an eclectic repertoire of vocal literature from Renaissance to contemporary.
The Rockbridge Choral Society's mission is to present choral music at the highest level of excellence and to encourage in both singers and listeners an appreciation for the art of choral and ensemble singing through live performances, education, and the encouragement of new choral composition.
Since 1999 the musical endeavors of the Rockbridge Chorus and its offspring – have been generously underwritten by the Rockbridge Choral Society (RCS) (formerly the Friends of the Rockbridge Choral Society), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization charged with the funding and organization of all the performing groups.
Scope and Contents
This collection records the work of the Friends of the Rockbridge Choral Society, which includes the following: "Alla Breve," A Newsletter for the Friends of the Rockbridge Choral Society, Fall 1999-August 2018; programs of concerts, January 12, 2014-December 1, 2018; Minutes (Mary 4, 2016, May 1 and Nov. 7, 2017); two concert posters (Nov. 8, 2015 and Jan. 28, 2018); and a letter to the Choral Society and McCorkle family from Merrily Taylor, Chair, concerning a creation of an endowed chair in memory of Evelyn Pankey McCorkle, mother of director Bill McCorkle.
Container List
Letter from Merrily Taylor, Chair of the Friends of the Rockbridge Choral Scoiety, to the Friends of the Rockbridge Choral Society and the McCorkle family, June 10, 2015, saddened by the death of Evelyn Pankey McCorkle, and the creation of an endowed chair to establish a permanent memorial.
Posters for two Rockbridge Chamber Singers events, directed by William McCorkle, "November Lights," November 8, 2015 and "Songs of Love," January 28, 2018. Major funding of these events were provided by the Friends of the Rockbridge Choral Society.
Programs for the Rockbridge Choral Society, William McCorkle, director. Josh Harvey, accompanist for the December 6, 2014 Holiday Concert. The December 3, 2016 Holiday Concert program includes the Rockbridge Youth Chorale, Lacey Lynch & Lori Parker, directors, Olivia Shaves, student intern, Ted Bickish & Anna Billias, piano.
Programs for the Rockbridge Choral Society, William McCorkle, director. The Rockbridge Youth Chorale is included for two Holiday concerts, December 2, 2017, Lacey Lynch & Lori Parker directors, Camilla Higgins, student conducting intern, Anna Billias, piano, and December 1, 2018, Lacey Lynch & Lori Parker directors, Anna Billias, piano.