Time to Say Goodbye

At the beginning of this season, Steve Morton sent the following letter to our singers, our subscribers, our friends and the St. Louis community in general.

Time To Say Goodbye.

I have news to give you: 2024-2025, the 24th Season of the American Chamber Chorale and Orchestra, will be our last.  I bring you this news with mixed emotions. The Chorale has occupied a big part of my life.  For more than 24 years, I have been gathering with people I love, doing what I have been called to do: make music. There is a sense of loss and sadness, but the greater part of what I feel is gratitude.  Rather than mourn the loss, I think the proper response is a celebration!   That is what this final season should be.

Let’s celebrate what has been accomplished by all those who made the American Chamber Chorale and Orchestra possible. The first members of the ACC were members of an ensemble I formed from the ranks of a larger chorus: the St. Louis Metro Singers.  When I decided to break from the Metros to form the ACC, I invited singers from the small ensemble to come, too.  Since that would mean leaving the old chorus, I was sure I would have to recruit additional singers.  Much to my surprise, all of those singers joined the ACC, knowing it would be a struggle.  To those singers I say Thank You.

To survive financially, we relied on funding from Ed and Cathy Coco, contributions from Friends and family, and revenue from ticket sales. We made it through some difficult years and began performing concerts to benefit charitable groups.  Thanks to generous funding from World Wide Technology, I hired the best musicians I could find to form the Salem Chamber Orchestra in January of 2016 to play for Traditional Worship services at Salem United Methodist Church.  Thanks to the generosity of World Wide, Salem, and Marsha Armentrout, we were able to take two major steps in the Fall of 2016:

We added the Salem Chamber Orchestra to all ACC concerts. We made all of our concerts free to attend.

There are so many more people to thank for the success of the ACC and I must name just a few of them.  Our Board of Trustees:

Richard Brickson, President – ACC finances suddenly stabilized when Dick Brickson joined the Trustees in 2010.  His expertise in business law and understanding of how not-for-profit organizations work had a very positive impact.

Marsha Armentrout, Executive Director – The ACC celebrated Marsha’s contributions to the running of ACC operations by dedicating the October concert to her in Season Twenty Three.

Darrell Hughes, Treasurer – With his vast experience in accounting, Darrell brought much-needed organization to ACC finances.

Rachel Robison, Administrator – Rachel does too many important tasks to list.  She is our “go-to” person for almost anything.

Thank you, Marty Renner-Hughes.  Marty became my Assistant Conductor when I began directing the Metro Singers in 1995.  This is Marty’s 30th year to serve in that capacity.

We have had several accompanists who brought their unique gifts to the ACC including: Lori Morton, Donna Pyron, Cindy Johnson, Daniel Fry, and Bonnie Wilson. Thank you.

My sincere thanks to all the talented people who sang with us over the years.  The singers of the ACC came to us from many places: the broader community, my university voice studio, college choirs I have directed, and many who were recruited by ACC singers. To all of you, I count it a blessing to know you, make music with you, and share so many countless, heavenly moments.  What a great privilege it has been to be part of the American Chamber Chorale and Orchestra.  Thank you, all.

And finally, to the Friends of the American Chamber Chorale, I extend my heart-felt gratitude.  We began calling ACC supporters “Friends” because that is literally who our supporters were.  They were friends of mine or Marty’s, or Marsha’s, or of the singers.  And you still are.  Thank you so much.  We couldn’t have come all this way without your help.  And now, I have one more request.  Please support us in this final season of celebration by coming to the concerts and with your gifts.  We have funding for the bare necessities of this season, but your donation will help make our final season our best season!

With gratitude,

Stephen Morton, Artistic Director
American Chamber Chorale and Orchestra