Singing a New Tune
Hagerstown Choral Arts moves forward with new leadership for the season
For 31 years, Hagerstown Choral Arts has been delighting Tri-State audiences with harmonious vocal musical performances. But when its founder and artistic director Gregory P. Shook resigned in February, it left a vacancy in the group’s leadership.
Carolyn Mentzer, who has been board president since 2023, says the board decided first to look within the 60-member group to see who not only had enough musical experience to lead the group but was also willing to take on the task.
The result was that two people, Janet Palmer and Caleb Wescott, would share the title of interim artistic director. Both auditioned in 2023 to be singers for the group. Wescott was the first to step up with only three weeks from the group’s next concert by being a guest conductor.
“And this knight in shining armor, Caleb stepped forward and said, ‘I can take care of it,” Mentzer says.
Janet Palmer
Wescott of Boonsboro became a member of the board soon after he came aboard as a singer. Fresh from the University of Tennessee where he earned a degree in music education, Wescott stepped up to help them out.
“I just saw there was a need,” he says.
His full-time job is as the band director for Hancock Middle Senior High School. He immediately took over conducting the February concert.
Mentzer said they brought on a guest conductor for the next concert. She said the board wanted to find someone to lead HCA but didn’t want to rush. Instead, she said, they were looking for “quality over quantity” during their search for a new leader. They ended up whittling it down to four candidates, including Wescott and Palmer.
Wescott said he was “looking for any quality musical opportunities I could find, and I just stumbled upon this,” He said he stepped up because, “I was not interested in watching it crumble as soon as I found this.”
Palmer also has a background in music. She retired from teaching general and choral music for 38 years in Illinois, Wyoming, and Wisconsin. She also sang in choral groups that performed around the world. In 2022, she moved to Maryland to be closer to her grandchild. Palmer says she and Wescott auditioned at the same time.
“I liked being a part of the group, and, getting the opportunity to work with them as the associate director, maybe it was the right thing to go for,” she says. “It’s that kind of group that makes you want to be more involved and do more for them.”
Because of their backgrounds and dedication to the group, the board decided Wescott and Palmer would be a great fit–together. Mentzer explained it would be a way for them to share the load. Wescott and Palmer say it’s been a good match.
“We work really well together,” Palmer says, and Wescott agrees.
They say they are looking forward to this season, as they break away from performing at Trinity Luthern Church in downtown Hagerstown. Hagerstown Choral Arts performed its beloved free Christmas concert in December at St. Ann Roman Catholic Church on Oak Hill Avenue. The church is a new venue for the group, and there are others coming up this spring.
“We’re looking to incorporate as much music as possible,” Wescott says.
Palmer further explained, “In between we’re trying to just transition from piece to piece without a bunch of applause to interrupt.”
With new ideas and new venues, Mentzer says the singers are excited to work with the new leaders and delighted with the choice of Wescott and Palmer.
“It’s been a wonderful experience,” she says.
Upcoming Performances
March 2 The Road Home featuring “Frostiana” by Randall Thompson
3 p.m. at the Church of the Brethren, 15 S. Mulberry St., Hagerstown
May 3 Soaring Sing featuring “Gospel Mass” by Robert Ray
3 p.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 101 S. Prospect St, Hagerstown
May 4 Soaring Sing featuring “Gospel Mass” by Robert Ray
3 p.m. at Pen Mar Park, 14600 Pen Mar High Rock Road, Highfield
For more about Hagerstown Choral Arts visit www.hca-md.org