About CSMG | Community Choir in Middle GA

shot of Choral Society of Middle GA violinist performing

shot of Choral Society of Middle GA performing

An Amateur Choir With a Professional Approach

Originally founded as the Macon Civic Chorale in 1975, Choral Society of Middle Georgia is a community organization of singer-musicians from all over Central Georgia.

With four major concerts each year, the choral society explores a diverse selection of musical styles while being dedicated to performing choral and orchestral works for our audiences. The Choral Society of Middle Georgia delights our communities throughout the year with a fall concert, spring concert, and an annual performance of the Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah in December.

Some Recent History

Since the beginning of the Macon Civic Chorale, the chorus has been fortunate to have outstanding artist leadership. During the last 15 years, the Choral Society of Middle Georgia has been led by Dr. John Dickson, Dr. David Keith, and Dr. Stanley Roberts. Dr. Roberts helped the chorus attain a greater level of musical success with a marked increase in membership, community interest, and concert attendance. Under his direction, the chorus performed John Rutter’s Requiem in Carnegie Hall in 2017 along with other Mercer University choirs. In 2019, the Choral Society of Middle Georgia accepted an invitation to perform Robin Nelson’s Atlantic Odyssey with the Swindon Choral Society in Swindon, England.

Unique to the Choral Society of Middle Georgia is its collaboration with Mercer University and other community organizations. The chorus frequently performs at Mulberry Street United Methodist Church, St. Joseph Catholic Church, and Fickling Hall at Mercer University. During the 2022-23 concert season, Dr. Roberts and the Dean of Mercer’s Townsend School of Music, Dr. Gary Gerber, served as co-directors. In the fall of 2023, Dr. Gerber began his tenure as artist director of the chorus.

Choral Society of Middle Georgia maintains a healthy partnership with Mercer University’s Townsend School of Music, which provides community members and college students a unique opportunity to blend their voices with a wide range of ages while performing selections of choral music written for large choruses. Throughout the concert season, Dr. Gerber reaches beyond the score of teaching for performances to include education about choral techniques. This additional insight helps members to have a greater experience and opportunity to improve their voices.

Meet Our Artistic Leadership

Dr. Gary Gerber

Artistic Director

Gary G. Gerber, conductor, serves as Dean of the Townsend School of Music at Mercer University. A native of Texas, Dr. Gerber holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. He received two degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, a Master of Music degree in choral conducting in 1990, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in choral conducting in 1993.

Dr. Gerber previously served as Dean of the School of Fine Arts, Chair of the Division of Music, Director of Choral Activities, and professor of music at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. At Ouachita, he directed Ouachita Singers, Concert Choir and taught various conducting and choral techniques classes. Ouachita Singers, under Dr. Gerber’s direction, was selected to sing at the 2011 Arkansas All-State Conference and at the Southwestern Division of the American Choral Directors Association convention in March 2014. Dr. Gerber took this choir on numerous tours throughout the United States and Europe. He served the Southwestern Division of the American Choral Directors Association as Repertoire and Standards Chairs for Colleges and Universities from 2006-2010, and as the coordinator of the Collegiate Honor Choir for the division from 2006-2018.

Before joining the faculty at Ouachita, Dr. Gerber served as Director of Choral Studies at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri from 1996-2004. He also served as music director and conductor of the Missouri Baptist All-State Youth Choir and the Missouri Music Men. Dr. Gerber was founder and director of the Bolivar Community Chorus, a chorus that sang four to five times a season and regularly joined the choral forces at Southwest Baptist University to present large-scale choral works.

A Word From the President

We are elated to invite you to join us this season as we celebrate 50 years of making music together in the Middle Georgia community! The Choral Society of Middle Georgia is a truly special group, one that strives for musical excellence while fostering friendship, belonging, and joy through song. Our partnership with the Mercer University Choir adds a unique, multi-generational richness to our sound and spirit, reminding us that music connects us across ages and experiences. Together, we continue to build community through song which is at the very heart of who we are.

For me, the love of choral music began early. Thanks to a church and community that valued music, I began singing in choirs as a kindergartener. That early start sparked a lifelong passion and instilled a deep love for choral music that has followed me throughout my life, from All-State Chorus and choir tours to my years as a music student at the University of Georgia, performing with the Men’s Glee Club and Concert Choir. Choral music has always been, and remains, a tie that binds like no other.

After many years away from organized choral singing, I discovered the Choral Society of Middle Georgia in 2016. With a bit of courage and a lot of encouragement from loved ones, I attended my first fall rehearsal. I could never have imagined the experiences that would follow, including a mountain top experience, standing on the stage of Carnegie Hall with my CSMG family and students from Mercer’s Townsend School of Music, not once, but on two occasions.

If you are looking for a place to belong, a community built through song and the love of music, where all are welcomed, valued, and celebrated, I invite you to join us. Come sing with us or come listen and share the music that continues to bring people together after fifty wonderful years.

DeWayne Moore

President

Meet Our Board of Directors

Leadership for the Choral Society of Middle Georgia is provided by a board of directors. From the board of directors, officers include President, Vice President, Past President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The choral director also serves on the board.

2025-2026

DeWayne Moore

President

Jane Antoine

Vice President

Kitty Carson Knight

Secretary

Susan Pavoni

Treasurer

Donna Hellwig Rocker

Past President

Anne Sanders

Devin Prather

Janice Morales-Hill

Maggie Alley

Jeff Whatley

Cookie Brewer

Carla Dennis

Peter Dennis

Susie Hill

Katherine Hudson

Lee Beaudet-Love

Nomsa Sibeko-Brown

Partners and Donors

Choral Society of Middle Georgia is proud to partner with organizations, institutions, and supporters throughout the region so that we may bring our choral performances to the public.

If you would like to become a partner, contact us at choralsocietymidga@gmail.com!

Partnerships and Collaborations

2025-26 Donors

Josephine Phelps Fabian Fund of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia
Jane Antoine
Dianne Brannen
Eileen Carlson

Mr. and Mrs. P.E. Dennis
William and Susan Hill
DeWayne Moore
Donna Hellwig Rocker (in memory of Bob and Arlene Hellwig and Dwaine Sanders)

Middle Georgia’s Community Choir Since 1975

An Amateur Choir With a Professional Approach

Some Recent History