CUMBERLAND CHORAL ARTS

A 1991 performance of Mozart’s Requiem, commemorating the 200 th anniversary of the composer’s death, brought together a group of local singers under the baton of Mr. Alan M. Porter, the Chair of the Music Department and Director of the Fine Arts Division at Methodist College in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The ensemble enjoyed singing together so much that they became the genesis for the Fayetteville-based mixed adult community choir, the Cumberland Oratorio Singers (COS), now known as Cumberland Choral Arts (CCA). Dedicated to bringing classical choral works to the greater Cumberland County area, the group has expanded its repertoire to include jazz, opera, spirituals, standards, and music from the stage and screen. Cumberland Choral Arts is currently directed by Dr. Michael Martin. Two other ensembles have grown out of the larger group. Cross Creek Chorale, a smaller select voice ensemble, is currently directed by MAJ Curtis Kinzey. Campbellton Youth Chorus, a group comprised of 4th-8th graders, is directed by Mrs. Sarah Szopinski.