Our Chorale
Through the performance of choral music, the Fountain Inn Chorale seeks to serve the Fountain Inn community and the greater Upstate South Carolina region, fostering connection, expression, and shared artistic experience.
Our Vision
The Fountain Inn Chorale is an all-volunteer, audition-based ensemble of singers dedicated to sharing the joy of choral music. The Chorale seeks to serve as a welcoming artistic home for individuals throughout Upstate South Carolina who are passionate about and committed to the art of choral singing.
Our Mission
The mission of the Fountain Inn Chorale is to educate, entertain, and engage local and regional communities through the disciplined preparation and excellent performance of choral music spanning diverse styles and historical periods.
Our Values
We believe that the collective act of singing draws people together and gives voice to a shared heritage. Recognizing that our common humanity is stronger than our differences, we embrace music that reflects both the present moment and the traditions that continue to shape us, sharing that humanity through song.
Our Story
The Fountain Inn Chorale began in 2009 as a project of the City of Fountain Inn, launching its inaugural season at the Younts Center with a bold vision: to bring high-quality choral music to our growing community.
What began as a civic initiative quickly became something more — a vibrant artistic home for singers and audiences alike.
In 2014, under the leadership of Director Jane Morlan, the Chorale entered a season of remarkable artistic growth and community engagement. Performances expanded in scope and ambition, audiences increased, and the Chorale’s reputation for musical excellence deepened throughout the region.
By 2017, the Fountain Inn Chorale had matured into an independent, self-funded nonprofit organization, earning 501(c)(3) charitable tax-exempt status. With that milestone came both opportunity and responsibility. Singers committed themselves not only artistically, but financially, contributing annual dues. Grants were pursued and awarded. Donors stepped forward to invest in a shared cultural vision.
Through every season of change, the music never stopped.
In 2019, a generous community partner provided rehearsal and performance space, as well as storage for our growing library and materials. That stable home sustained us through the uncertainty of the pandemic, and in the fall of 2021 our singers returned with renewed energy, gratitude, and purpose.
Today, under the leadership of Artistic Director and Conductor Donald W. Duncan, the Chorale continues to thrive. We rehearse at the Younts Center for the Performing Arts on Monday evenings for approximately forty weeks each year, preparing performances that enrich, inspire, and unite our community.
Our Music
Since 2009, the Fountain Inn Chorale has presented:
Major works of the choral masterworks tradition
Spirituals and music rooted in the American experience
Broadway favorites and beloved holiday programs
Appalachian arrangements and regional repertoire
Newly commissioned works by contemporary composers
Our programs have featured music by Aaron Copland, Norman Dello Joio, Dan Forrest, Elaine Hagenberg, Shelton Ridge Love, Rollo Dilworth, André Thomas, Robert Edgerton, William Dawson, Moses Hogan, Eric Whitacre, and many others.
We believe that choral singing builds community. Each performance represents hundreds of volunteer hours, disciplined preparation, and the generous support of donors who believe that the arts matter.
