Bringing great music to the Mohawk Valley since 1982
Local Residents Presenting Choral Classics
It’s in the books! Mohawk Valley Choral Society’s presentation of its program, “A Taste of Opera,” (May 3, 2026) was well received by an audience of hundreds. Listeners enjoyed opera choruses and arias from works by Bizet, Mozart, Vedri and other great composers. Kudos to all, especially Artistic Director John Krause for bringing a demanding program together!
It was an absolutely beautiful production. The music, the singers, the number of people performing (all smiling!).
Thank you so much.
Thank you, John Krause and everyone involved in yesterday‘s concert at Lady of Lourdes church. From the choirs and soloists, the full Orchestra, and an extremely large audience, it was a truly beautiful and very professional production.
Awe good to see some Opera in that church! Give John Krouse my best!
It was outstanding!
One of their best concerts!
Bravo! It was an incredible performance!
It was wonderful!
Good ole John
It was absolutely incredible! So grateful I was able to experience it!
About Us
Typically, the concerts of the Mohawk Valley Choral Society include music by composers such as Brahms, Haydn, Handel, J.S. Bach, Mozart, and Mendelssohn. However, the chorus has also sung pieces by contemporary twentieth century composers such as Copland, Rutter, Pinkham and Moses Hogan. In recent years, the Mohawk Valley Choral Society has sung Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, the Brahms Requiem, the Mozart Requiem, Handel's Messiah, Rutter's Mass of the Children, J.S. Bach's Mass in B Minor and Haydn's Creation, as well as works by Randall Thompson and Morten Lauridsen. In July 2017, it appeared with the Albany Symphony where it premiered Benjamin Wallace's Water Music: The Little Falls Lock.
Where we perform
The Mohawk Valley Choral Society has appeared in cities, towns and villages throughout the Mohawk Valley. It has performed at the Cathedral of All Saints (the Episcopal Cathedral) in Albany, NY, Hendricks Chapel on the Syracuse University Campus, at Hamilton College, at the Herkimer County Community College, Presidential Inauguration and at the 2009 Genesis Group’s 9/11 Commemorative Program.
It has appeared with the Syracuse University Brass Ensemble and the Albany Symphony Orchestra.
In the past, the Choral Society worked in conjunction with Herkimer County Community College to enable its students to participate with the Choral Society and earn college credit at the same time.
For ten years, the Choral Society offered scholarships to area high school juniors and seniors. These scholarships were granted after competitive auditions. They granted the winners free membership in the Choral Society as well as free weekly vocal lessons. Begun in 2009, the Choral Society increased this scholarship program from its original two scholarships a year to ten in its final year of existence.
Interested singers seeking more information about the Mohawk Valley Choral Society are encouraged to get in touch with the chorus through contact us.
Our Artistic Director
John Krause
Mr. Krause is a graduate of the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam and received his
Master’s degree from Temple University in Philadelphia.
He has previously collaborated with Mohawk Valley Choral Society as its interim director in
1997 and 1998, and he served as chorus accompanist for 4 years, from 2022-2025.
An avid musical theater enthusiast, Mr. Krause has performed in, directed, and musical
directed numerous productions in the area with Players of Utica, Chelsea Opera, Rome
Community Theater, Chatham Theater, Ruckus Productions, Upstagers, The Earlville Opera
House, M.V.C.C., Utica University, Hamilton College, as well as many area high schools.
He is a founding member of Stage Two Productions which produced summer community theatre for over 25 years.
Mr. Krause recently retired from Herkimer High School where he was the Choral Instructor
and the drama Instructor. He presently is a staff accompanist part time at Hamilton College playing for voice students.
Gallery
images from the past
