The Putnam Chorale, Ltd., under the artistic direction of Music Director Dr. Jason Tramm, is the largest community chorus in Putnam County, NY, in service since 1984. Founded by Bernard LaDue, and followed by Music Director Douglas Anderson until 2023, we have been providing high quality choral and orchestral music and academic commentary ever since. The two-fold mission of the Chorale is to provide amateur and aspiring professional singers an opportunity to enrich their lives through choral singing and to provide the community with compelling performance experiences. Our choristers join us from all over Putnam and surrounding counties.
The Chorale presents a major fall and a spring performance, occasional community Messiah sings and open summer sings, both of which create opportunities for the community to assemble informally to enjoy singing popular works. Additionally, smaller Chorale ensembles entertain at local nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, historical sites, etc. with holiday caroling or other seasonal choral music. The Summer Ensemble was founded in 2022 to offer singers and audiences lighter musical fare such as show tunes and pop classics.
Videos of Chorale performances appear on local public access cable channels. In 2010, the Chorale was a semi-finalist in The American Prize in Choral Performance.
Performances have seen enthusiastic, even full-house, audiences in recent years. Two quotes from the audience survey of Handel’s Messiah (the complete oratorio with orchestra) are informative: “We are fortunate to have a choir of combined voices perform a concert of such high quality in Brewster.” And “Fantastic. What a pleasure to see this group mature over the past decade… Beautifully directed. Mature interpretation.”
Member dues and ticket sales are inadequate to prepare, promote, and perform choral/orchestral works of the type presented. Individual and corporate donations and grants, such as through the Putnam Arts Council, make the difference between a piano accompaniment and fully immersive orchestral experiences. We welcome your support.
