Olympia Choral Society History
In 1998 Terrance Robert Bernard Shaw (Terry) met with a small group of singers and founded the Olympia Choral Society. Terry’s vision for the choir was to create a community choir of quality voices with a focus of giving back to the community.
The first concert of the Olympia Choral Society was in December 1998 at the United Churches in downtown Olympia. There were 17 singers and about 50 in the audience. Since then, the choir has grown to 90+ quality voices from across the south Puget Sound area, with concert attendance at or near the capacity of our performance venues, averaging more than 700 patrons per concert.
In 1999 the OCS started living one of the elements of our Mission Statement (raising funds to benefit local charities and organizations) by making a donation to a young member of our community who was in need. Whitney Leckenby, a victim of a life-threatening bone disease was the recipient of a $5,030 donation from the OCS. In turn, Whitney and her family passed the donation to the International Fibrodyplasia Osificans Progressiva Association (IFOPA) which helps the 300+ people in the world with this little known disease.
Every year, since that first donation in 1999, the OSC selects a local charity/organization as the beneficiary of the donations made by patrons attending our concerts. To date we have donated over $100,000!
On September 11, 2002 the Olympia Choral Society sponsored a performance of Mozart’s “Requiem” at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts. Terry Shaw was the director of a 150-voice choir from the Olympia area, as part of this worldwide Rolling Requiem tribute to the victims of the September 11, 2001 tragedy.
In the 2003 Spring Concert the Olympia Choral Society expanded its mission of giving back to the community by starting a scholarship program for South Sound high school seniors who intend to study vocal/choral music in college. Since then, the OCS has provided over $6,000 in scholarship money to local area students.
Over the past several years the Olympia Choral Society has sponsored “Olympia Sings.” Olympia Sings provides an opportunity for choral singers throughout the Olympia area to sing masterworks types of music much like a Handel’s Messiah sing-along. Olympia Sings provides an opportunity to sing choral music during the summer when many choral groups and church choirs are off season. Some of the sessions may use guest conductors.
Additionally, OCS members have given back to the community by caroling in nursing homes during the holiday season and participating in the Olympia Arts Walk.
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