Our Mission & History

Mission Statement

The Andover Choral Society is dedicated to presenting exceptional performances, connecting to the larger community, and fostering an appreciation of choral music.

History

The year 1929 was best known for the stock market crash that triggered the Great Depression. But in Andover, Massachusetts, exciting things were happening. At the First National Bank building, Andover Choral Society was holding its first rehearsal under the baton of J. Everett Collins.

In 1926 Collins established the Square and Compass Glee Club, which reorganized in 1930 as the Andover Male Choir. Because women were not allowed to sing with the group, Collins founded Andover Choral Society in 1929 as a parallel chorus for both women and men. The group soon became known for its annual Christmas performance of Handel’s Messiah.

In 1984, Keith Gould, director of music at Andover High School and choir director at Andover’s South Church, temporarily assumed conducting responsibilities with Andover native, George H. Redman. Redman went on to serve as music director until 1989.

In 1983, the J. Everett Collins Center for the Performing Arts was dedicated, and it was there that a talented young tenor named Allen Combs made his New England singing debut. Combs taught voice and conducted choral and orchestral groups at Phillips Academy and in 1989 became Andover Choral Society’s third music director. Over the next 24 years, Combs introduced the chorus to a wide range of choral works that included Orff’s Carmina Burana, Verdi’s Requiem, and Mendelssohn’s Elijah.

Michael Driscoll took up the baton in the fall of 2013. A former electrical engineer, Driscoll had a passion for music that led him to a new career in choral conducting and music education. Driscoll helped to expand the group’s repertoire with performances of several contemporary works, including the world premiere of Florence Price’s Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight, which won the Society The American Prize: Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music, and Martín Palmeri's Misatango, which combines a traditional Latin mass with the rhythm and melody of Argentinian tango.

In March 2020, COVID-19 silenced choral groups worldwide. Andover Choral Society would not return to live performances until May 2022. However, the group continued to make music throughout the pandemic, with a virtual Christmas concert in 2020 and collaborative spring performance in 2021, featuring 11 performing arts organizations from around the Merrimack Valley. These concerts and many others may be seen on Andover Choral Society’s YouTube channel.

In September 2022, Andover Choral Society welcomed Matthew Buono, elementary music specialist and Tanglewood Festival Chorus baritone, as its fifth music director. In February 2023, Buono conducted his first Andover Choral Society concert, a warmly received performance of Ein Deutsches Requiem.