Western Reserve Chorale

The WESTERN RESERVE CHORALE, now in its 27^th season, is a non-profit singing group comprised of volunteers, led by a professional music director, David Gilson. The mission of the chorale is to enhance the quality of life for residents of Cleveland and its suburbs by providing free, high quality performances of choral music of diverse periods and styles, thus enriching the lives of both the performers and the listeners.

WRC recognizes that every person has a story of their own, which informs their reaction to music. It is that collective yet individual response that renders music such a powerful instrument for sharing concepts and emotions, sometimes where words fail, thereby helping to connect the world. We hope our audiences will experience some of that power, and perhaps be changed by it.

Appearances over the past 26 years have included collaborative concerts with other local choirs and instrumental groups, such as the R. Nathaniels Dett Concert Choir of the Cleveland School of the Arts, Choral Arts Cleveland, Suburban Symphony and the Heights Chamber Orchestra. We have performed at the Cleveland Play House, Judson Manor, Judson Park, The Waterford, The Renaissance, Hamlet Village, and Canal Park (singing the National Anthem for the Akron Rubber Ducks). We have provided the chorus for concert performances in collaboration with Opera per Tutti and Chagrin Falls Studio Orchestra, and singers for the chorus of Tosca with Cleveland Opera Theater.

WRC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in Ohio. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

DAVID GILSON

David’s tenure as Artistic Director of the Western Reserve Chorale began in 2012. He holds degrees in music from Allegheny College and the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM).  David has been employed at CIM since completing graduate studies there. He teaches choral conducting to undergraduate and graduate students while serving as the school’s Associate Dean for Student Affairs.   As a conductor, David was recently appointed to serve as Director of Music for Church of the Saviour in Cleveland Heights. He previously served the United Methodist Church of Chagrin Falls for 23 years.

He has served as a choral coach and clinician to numerous school choirs across the country and has conducted numerous North-East Ohio ensembles, including the Singer’s Club of Cleveland and the University Circle Chorale.  As a vocalist he has appeared as soloist with various choral ensembles and in musical and opera productions with the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, CIM Opera and Lyric Opera Cleveland.  David resides in Cleveland Heights with his wife, Suzanne and twin daughters, Hannah and Sophie.