by Mike Telin
On Saturday, May 17 at 7:30 pm in Trinity Cathedral, BlueWater Chamber Orchestra and Cleveland Chamber Choir present “I Believe! Knitted Voices of Justice and Faith,” with conductor Daniel Meyer and soprano Katherine Jolly. The program includes Margaret Bonds’ Credo and Mozart’s “Great” Mass in c. Pay-what-you-wish tickets are available at the door and online.
The concert also marks the culmination of the tenth anniversary season for Cleveland Chamber Choir. We spoke to CCC’s president, Melissa Vandergriff, who helped found the Choir in 2015 along with the ensemble’s first artistic director, Scott MacPherson. We also spoke to ensemble member and executive director Kira McGirr as well as Gregory Ristow, who became the group’s second artistic director in August 2023.
We reached Vandergriff and McGirr by Zoom at Trinity Cathedral, where the Choir serves as artist-in-residence this season.
Mike Telin: Melissa, what prompted you and your co-founders to form a choir?
Melissa Vandergriff: There is a tremendous amount of amazing music making in Northeast Ohio, but at the time we were feeling like there was an opportunity to have a professional chamber choir that performed the entire span of choral music — from early to modern compositions.
Creating a choir was something that a couple of us had talked about for some years. So we started to put out feelers to see if singers within the community might be interested in it.
It took about two years until we felt like we were going to have an audience, and attract a wonderful group of paid singers that would drive the mission of building a world-class choral organization in Northeast Ohio. From the beginning all of the singers lived in Northeast Ohio, and to this day that is part of who we are.
From the beginning we began commissioning new works, and that’s remained kind of our sweet spot. At this point we’ve performed over 37 pieces that were commissions or either U.S. or World premieres, which is not a bad rate for a group that is just now in its 10th season.
MT: Kira, when did you join the group?
Kira McGirr: I joined in the fall of 2017, just as a singer. Later that season I began to volunteer my time helping to manage the choir — that position stayed at the volunteer level for a couple seasons. Then it morphed into being a paid position and I was named executive director several years ago.
The position has really grown with the choir. I continue to sing with the group, and do the logistical side as executive director.
We started paying people in our second season. I have learned that fundraising and building an audience takes time. So I feel really good about the support we now have from the community and from grant-making organizations.
MT: When you began, did you think about where the choir would be in ten years?
MV: In the early days we were mostly thinking about things like budget, the number of singers, the number of concerts, and touring — representing Cleveland outside of Cleveland.
We were also thinking about a name and were throwing out different ideas, like Burning River Ensemble, but that was kind of a joke. But really we landed with Cleveland Chamber Choir because that is who we are.
Folks like Kira and Greg, and the staff that we have are incredible, so along with our very talented singers, I think we’re in a really good spot.
KM: I agree, I think we’re in a very exciting place. Just getting through a pandemic as a small arts organization really speaks to the drive and commitment that everyone has.
I know that Greg has some exciting ideas and thoughts about how he wants to continue to raise the musicianship level of all of our ensemble members, and hone our artistry.
Starting in season four, we began to partner with philanthropic organizations, and that has been something that I think is unique to us. It also helps build the sense of our identity in the music world in Northeast Ohio. So for every concert this season we have a partnership with a philanthropic organization who join us on stage. We learn about their mission and we donate to them from the proceeds we receive.
Also starting in season four we adopted a pay-as-you-wish model, so we don’t have tickets and the concerts are free and open to the public. We’re committed to making sure that choral music is accessible and welcoming to all.
MV: We also think a lot about the venues. Kira and Greg do a great job of thinking through where we want to perform, and making sure that they’re easy to reach via public transit and that they’re ADA compliant. We want them to be a welcoming space for all.
MT: Are there any particular highlights from the last decade you’d like to share?
KM: One was our performance in March, 2019 of Benjamin Britten’s AMDG. I was on a high from that concert for quite some time. That was one of the more difficult pieces we had done as an ensemble at that point, and I thought we absolutely nailed it.
Another one was the performance of Considering Matthew Shepard that we did a year ago here at Trinity Cathedral and repeated in Avon Lake. That was a moving, impactful experience for everyone involved.
MV: I think the March 2020 program “We March On: Music of Social Justice,” was really moving. And prior to COVID it drew our highest audience attendance including a lot of new concert goers. And as Kara said, we’re very proud that we were able to continue to thrive and exist through the pandemic.
I think it was also really special that we commissioned Cecilia McDowall in February of 2022 to write On the Air (Dear Vaccine) for us just as we were coming out of the pandemic and able to sing together again. She’s phenomenal and able to connect with the singers, and the student choruses who joined us from four universities. Charles McGuire, our vice president who does our pre-concert lectures, was able to interview her, and I think that was a great experience for the audience .
Gregory Ristow
Mike Telin: Congratulations on the 10th anniversary. What does it mean to have been in existence for 10 years?
Greg Ristow: I’m sure you know that most arts organizations don’t make it to ten years. When I think of Cleveland Chamber Choir, yes, it’s the singers who made it happen, but also this phenomenal board of directors, executive director, and team. There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes to make all of this possible.
And there’s also the audience, which has been growing beautifully, and supports us in wonderful ways along with the community organizations that we’ve partnered with over the years.
When you get to ten years you’re kind of on the edge of young adulthood. This is where you start to see groups grow into who they are. For example, we’ve just launched a new website with new branding. Our old website served us well for a really long time, but it’s nice to have something that reflects who we are today, Cleveland’s premier professional choir, delivering music at a very high level. So it’s exciting to step into that literal representation of our move into young adulthood.
Group photo by Mandy Coy
Published on ClevelandClassical.com May 15, 2025
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