About the Chorus
The Memphis Symphony Chorus is an integral part of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra family and a fan favorite. The Memphis Symphony Chorus is lead by Chorus Conductor, Nathan Dumser and performs several concerts per season with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Since its formation in 1965, the Memphis Symphony Chorus has attracted excellent, volunteer vocalists from around the Mid South. Performances are usually held at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Memphis or The Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center.
The Chorus began in 1965 when Maestro Vincent De Frank programmed the orchestra’s first Pops Concert and needed a Chorus. He enlisted local musician Sara Beth Causey to recruit the first singers of the Memphis Symphony Chorus. Chorus membership has grown from 30 to 120 members strong, performing under the direction of Maestro Robert Moody and Dr. Lawrence Edwards. Dr. Edwards served as the Artistic Director for 36 years and retired after the 2024-2025 Season. Joseph Powell served as Interim Director for the 2025-2026 season, and we welcomed our current Chorus Conductor, Nathan Dumser, in the fall of 2026.
In a wonderful collaboration of orchestral and vocal musicians, the chorus has performed major works across the entire spectrum of classical choral music, opera choruses, and concert pops repertoire. Some of our Masterworks Concert performances have included:
Bach’s Mass in B Minor Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony
Christopher Tin’s The Drop That Contained The Sea Handel’s Messiah
Craig Hella Johnson’s Considering Matthew Shepard Orff’s Carmina Burana
Requiems by Mozart, Verdi, Brahms, and Berlioz John Williams’ The Music of Star Wars
Chorus membership grows through a twice-yearly audition process supervised by our conductor, Nathan Dumser. Being a professional vocalist is not a prerequisite for acceptance; however, one must have in equal proportion vocal skill, ability to read music, a love for great choral music, as well as the time and energy to devote to a weekly Monday rehearsal schedule during the season. Each new season for the Chorus begins in the late summer and lasts through their final performance, usually in May.
Be sure to check out the rest of the website for information about the chorus audition schedule or to purchase tickets for performances, or you may contact the Memphis Symphony Orchestra office at (901) 537-2510.