MCS - History

The Minnetonka Choral Society began in 1957 as a loose association of choirs to sing Handel’s Messiah. The group was reorganized under the direction of Jim Dau in 1969. In 1989 Jim retired after 20 years of music-making. The baton was passed to Peter Hendrickson, and now is held by Jere Lantz. Since its inception, MCS has become known for its high level of artistry and its breadth of repertoire.

The Society is a nonprofit organization, supported exclusively from the funds raised by its members and by ticket sales to its concerts. It currently has 78 members. Each year, MCS performs in December and in April or May for the Twin Cities community. Concerts are frequently performed with a paid professional orchestra, professional soloists and/or MCS soloists.

Performing with a wide variety of instrumental complements, though primarily with orchestra, the Society has presented programs that span four centuries of musical creativity and the four corners of he globe. Masterworks of the great composers - Mozart and Haydn masses, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Brahms’ Ein Deutchees Requiem, Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, Vaugh Williams’ Hodie - have been balanced by holiday favorites, folk songs, patriotic classics, and contemporary compositions.