The Atlanta Singers History

In 1976 founding conductor, Kevin Culver, and soprano, Cheryl Bray, inspired by their mentor Robert Shaw and his Chorale, brought together a group of their friends for a few concerts, never thinking that The Atlanta Singers would last for over thirty years. Today, the group is known nationally and internationally through their recordings and performances aired on American Public Media's Performance Today, and by concerts streamed over the Internet.

Kevin retired from the Singers in 1992 after conducting for fifteen years. David Brensinger became the second conductor of the group in 1993 and led the ensemble for thirteen seasons.  David Morrow of Morehouse College made his debut as the third permanent conductor of The Atlanta Singers in the 2006-2007 concert season.

What started as a group of friends dedicated to the pure joy of singing has developed into one of the region's finest small choral ensembles. Three members of the current Singers were in the original group: alto Nancy Allstrom, tenor Robert Aaron, and soprano Cheryl Bray Lower. And while some of the faces on stage may be new, the spirit remains the same as when Kevin wrote the first description of the group for a concert in the Robert Shaw Theatre of Northside High School.

The Atlanta Singers is a group of friends dedicated to the growth and development of Atlanta's choral music. For a number of years the major outlets for quality choral music have been the choirs of our churches and the choruses of our orchestra. While both fulfill specific needs of the community, they are necessarily limited by sacred occasion and orchestral instrumentation. The Singers feel that there are vast areas of choral literature that have been left in the dark - untouched by human voices - and it is their intention to bring some of this music to life. Just as the members of the group are variously occupied as doctors, lawyers, teachers, students, artists, secretaries, salespersons, housewives, and househusbands - their repertoire is equally diverse. Music from the renaissance, pop tunes, new pieces by contemporary composers and the works of the old masters all find voice in the concerts of the Atlanta Singers - a group dedicated to the advancement of choral music not only for their own pleasure, but for the vital expansion of Atlanta's musical and cultural consciousness. [c. 1977]

The Atlanta Singers 1976 to Present

Sopranos: Janet Balej, Heather Beard (Blalock), Christina Bartholic, Cheryl Bray (Lower), Anita Brensinger, Anita Brown, Jeanne Brown, Darlene Conrad, Susan Crowder, Leanne Fjetland, Gloria Garrett (Seymour), Rebecca Gilliland (Smith), Frieda Herron, Colleen Kingston, Carol Lineberger, Sara Lorusso, Donna Matheny (Weaver), Ann Marie McPhail, Clare Nesmith, Marie Oemier, Sheila Pater, Edith Phelps, Rebecca Shipley, Jackie Smythe, Phoebe Snow, Anne-Marie Spalinger, Linda Stephens, Gigi Weinrich, Anne White, Sue Williams, Pat Woodruff

Altos: Nancy Allstrom, Rita Bissell, Fran Bjorneby-Kraemer, Vickie Blakeney, Jenny Boone (Rawson), Diane Bosse, Carol Brown, Jane Burke, Annette Burton, Emily Clark, Susan Crawford, Bette Culver, Beth A. Diller, Lynn Edwards, Wendy Hoffman Farrell, Donna Foster, Leslie Gengozian, Frieda Herron, Jo Ann Hunsinger, Cheri Lee, Margaret Lias, Dyan McKinney, Brenda Pruitt, Kathleen Reece, Carol Roach, Linda Sharp, Kelly Shaw, Nancy Smith, Susan Stigall, Margaret Suttles, Katherine Taylor, Virginia Thompson, Diana Torell, Jacquelyn Turner (Bailey), Nancy Wilson, Elise Witt

Tenors: Rob Aaron, Sherwin Bachman, Brian Bishop, David Blalock, John Brake, George Case, Lee Cobb, Corey Colton, Tom Davis, Karl Day, Gregg Duncan, Paul Eichner, Joe Elder, Ralph Gavett, John C. Gore, Robert Hart, Gene Hodges, William L. Humphrey, Clayton Jolley, Nick Jones, Barry Lemaster, Rollin Mallernee, Bob Mathis, Bill Morgan, Mike O'Hearn, Christopher Patton, Ben Perkins, Benjamin Pruett, Charles Redmon, Brent Runnels, Claud Shirley, John R. Stewart, David Stivers, Frank Timmerman, DeWayne Trainer, S. Todd Weaver, Wayne Weaver

Basses: Michael Arens, Jon Bartlett, Hal Blair, William Borland, Buron Buffkin, Romeo Cecilia, Stephen Cole, John Cooledge, Rick Copeland, John Stuart Currie, Larry Frazier, Frank Gordon, Ed Gorsuch, Neil Gregory, Timothy Gunter, Dick Hall, Charles Hamilton, Marlon Hurst, Steve Jones, Robert Lower, James Marshall, Walt Michels, John Outler, Ernest Plunkett, Herman Ramsey, David Reese, Philip Sasse, Roger Schmidt, Kendric Smith, Charles Sprawls, Kent Stephens, Jerry Tedford, Ken Williams, Ivan Woods

Rehearsal Accompanists: David Burleson, Carolyn Chestnut, Jack Crawford, Jeffrey Daniel, Hal Lanier, Sara Lorusso, Kerry Stevenson-Driskill, Debbie Thoreson

Guest Conductors: Alice Parker (1992), Robert Simpson (1993), Allen Crowell (2001), Wallace Hinson (2006)

Conductors: Kevin Culver (1976-1992), David Brensinger (1993-2005), David Morrow (2006--)

In Memoriam: David Reese (bass), Neil Gregory (bass), Jon Bartlett (bass), Romeo Cecilia (bass), Roger Schmidt (bass), Paul Eichner (tenor), Bob Hart (tenor), Susan Stigall (alto), Heather Beard Blalock (soprano), Charles Hamilton (bass), David Burleson (accompanist), Pheon Sinclair (Board of Directors), Kathy Griffin (Board of Directors), and Tony Smith (Board of Directors and graphic design)