History

In the Spring of 1971, two former members of the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh, Oren Hopkins and Linda Stainton, not fond of traveling to Pittsburgh for rehearsals and concerts decided it was time to form a local choral society. The success, at that time, of the recently organized Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, along with the encouragement of the music faculty from Seton Hill College and the support of others from the Greensburg community, led to the formation of the Westmoreland Choral Society. Rehearsals began on on September 8, 1971 with Dr. William Dovenspike as director and his wife Arlene as accompanist. The WCS struggled financially during those early years coupled with a high turnover in membership.

Marvin Huls became the Musical Director of the WCS in September 1976. At the same time, Bill Peters was hired to fill the position of Accompanist. With forty-four new members joining the organization, the WCS became a 75 voice singing group. Edgar Highberger became the Accompanist in January, 1978.

Rehearsals were originally held at Seton Hill College. Other facilities used for rehearsals include the First Methodist Church, Greensburg; First Presbyterian Church, Greensburg; the YMCA, Greensburg; the Salvation Army, Greensburg; back to the First Presbyterian Church; and finally the present location, First Lutheran Church, Greensburg.

The annual concert series include the Christmas concert, given on two consecutive nights, the Palm Sunday concert and the Pops Concert. Beginning in 1994, a Fall concert was added about every other year. The WCS has performed at the Westmoreland County Arts and Heritage Festival at Twin Lakes Park, every August at St. Clair Park in Greensburg and also on other special occasions. The WCS has taken singing tours to Canada, Williamsburg and Lancaster.

The WCS draws its members from Westmoreland, Fayette, Allegheny, Armstrong, and Somerset Counties. The singers come from various career and professional backgrounds united by the love of singing, the challenge of learning a variety of choral music and the desire to participate in the continuation of this art form. The WCS is committed to contributing to the cultural life of this area.