Immediate release
Peter Ingalls, Director of Marketing
Music Center of South Central Michigan
269 963 1911 ext.2523
pingalls@musiccenterscmi.com

Elinor Marsh, Executive Director
269 963-1911, ext.2522
emarsh@musiccenterscmi.com

www.musiccenterscmi.com

Battle Creek Girls' Chorus Names New Director

The Music Center of South Central Michigan has announced the appointment of a new music director of the Battle Creek Community Chorus. Chosen through a national search, Kalamazoo resident Dr. Douglas Rose will begin his tenure with the chorus in August.

Rose becomes just the fifth director of the 63-year-old chorus, which was founded in 1945. Rose succeeds Brian C. Clissold, who leaves after ten years at the chorus to pursue graduate studies in choral conducting at Butler University. Other predecessors include Paul Eikmeyer, Giff Richards and Roger Sweet.

Rose inherits a 60-member chorus known for the loyalty and longevity of its members and for the quality of its performances of repertoire ranging from Broadway to holiday pops to sacred masterworks. Rose will lead the chorus in five performances in 2008-09, including the Battle Creek Symphony’s “Madame Butterfly” opera on November 15.

Rose currently serves as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Albion College. He also directs the Albion Pro Choral, a professional adult choir, and teaches at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. He holds a Doctor of Musical Art degree in Choral Conducting from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, as well as master’s degrees in music and religion from Yale University.

Music Center Executive Director Elinor Marsh said, "We are thrilled to have Doug in the Music Center family. With his tremendous talent and experience, we can expect great things from the Community Chorus for years to come."

The Battle Creek Community Chorus was formed in 1945 by the Battle Creek radio station WELL, which broadcast 15-minute performances each month. The chorus’ first public performance was a Christmas concert at W. K. Kellogg Auditorium that was piped into Percy Jones Hospital for soldiers recuperating there In 1954, performances of “Carousel”
drew audiences of more than 3,000. From the 1970’s through the 90’s, the holiday pageant “Make We Merry” sold out multiple shows each year. For its 50th anniversary in 1995, the chorus sang in the American Choral Festival in Leipzig, Germany.

For more information on the Battle Creek Community Chorus and the Music Center, call 269 963-1911 or visit www.MusicCenterscmi.com.

Peter Ingalls
Director of Marketing
Music Center of South Central Michigan
P. O. Box 1613
Battle Creek, MI 49016
269 963-1911, ext.2523
pingalls@musiccenterscmi.com
www.musiccenterscmi.com