Zanesville Civic Choir Prepares to Take on NYC a Second Time this December

Submitted by WHIZ Intern Maddie Luebkert

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – A local Zanesville choir will leave Ohio behind for the Big Apple this winter for the first time in six years.  

The Zanesville Civic Chorus received an invitation to perform in New York City. The choir will perform the centuries old holiday concert, Handel’s “Messiah.” The 42 choir members will travel to Carnegie Hall, where the group first performed in 2019. In Zanesville, this December will be the choir’s 96th year performing Handel’s “Messiah.” The annual concert is the longest lasting choral music tradition in Ohio according to Past Director Jim McLaughlin.

“Some people in New York saw a YouTube video of the Zanesville Civic Chorus singing parts of Handel’s “Messiah” and reached out to Jim who was then the director and said hey we’d like you to come and sing at Carnegie Hall as part of our performance,” Zanesville Civic Chorus Music Director Ann Lillie Briggs said. 

The Civic Chorus is now focused on fundraising for the event, as the transportation and four days in New York will add up quickly. The group has received financial support from local businesses but continues to request donations from the community. The group will accept donations through the Muskingum County Community Foundation, but the choir has also partnered with local restaurants to raise money for the trip. 

“We’ve been doing fundraising all year long. And we’re sort of telling the community we’re going back again, and would you help us too?” Past Music Director Jim McLaughlin said. “We already have some grants, and we have some cooperation from the community foundation and restaurants are helping us so it’s an exciting time and the community can be a part of this project in various ways.”

To learn more about upcoming fundraisers for the Civic Chorus trip to New York City, visit their Facebook page at Thursday Music Club Civic Choir.