Friends Of Choral Music

The Friends of Choral Music (FCM), dba Meritáge Vocal Arts Ensemble, is dedicated to excellence in the performance of outstanding choral literature that engages and enriches our Orange County audiences, and celebrates and fosters the future of the choral arts.

Friends of Choral Music, dba Meritáge Vocal Arts Ensemble, was established in 1997 as a nonprofit organization devoted to preserving and fostering the art of choral music within Orange County and around the world. Meritágefulfills its mission by engaging audiences through the performance of choral literature, thus artistically enriching the lives of audience members. Meritáge has worked towards fulfilling its mission through its two core programs: Meritage Vocal Arts Ensemble and the Starlight Carolers.

Meritáge Vocal Arts Ensemble is Friends of Choral Musics’s premier ensemble. This ensemble is made up of 56 highly skilled, experienced choral musicians from Southern California. Meritáge Vocal Arts Ensemble has been featured at several state and regional conventions of the Choral Conductors Guild. Meritáge Vocal Arts Ensemble has also performed for a variety of music organizations including the American Choral Directors Association, The Symphonians of the Music Center and the Los Angeles Da Camera Society.

The Starlight Carolers is an ensemble made up of 25 singers. Dressed in colorful Victorian costumes with over forty songs of the season, the Starlight Carolers perform for various holiday events within Orange County. All proceeds generated from these caroling engagements help fund the Meritáge choral season.

Throughout its history, Meritáge has promoted young, talented singers with scholarships and other financial support (relief of membership dues, e.g.), as well as experience in performing and recommendations for higher education learning.

Each year Meritáge coordinates four community concerts. Two of these concerts are large masterworks concerts, which include a full orchestra. Under the direction of Artistic Director Brian Dehn, Meritáge partners with local Orange County high school students. Students are given music that they will learn at their high school music program. Students who are part of the partnering program are also be invited to rehearse with Meritáge during the weeks leading up to the performance.

This collaboration provides students with an opportunity to perform with highly skilled musicians. This also grants the students the opportunity to perform music that might be too challenging for a high school choir to attempt on its own. This partnership gives students the unique experience to perform with an orchestra, which is not always possible for high school choirs to coordinate due to funding barriers.

Through this collaboration, Meritáge is able to reach younger singers and engage them in the art of choral music. This helps foster a new generation of young musicians. In addition, this partnership also assists Meritáge in expanding and growing its younger audience. In reaching out to younger singers, the concerts also draw younger audience members such as other high school students and their parents.

Music;
Rent for rehearsal space;
Funds to pay contracted orchestra musicians

Primarily Orange County and Long Beach.

The Friends of Choral Music is dedicated to funding choral music throughout Orange County. We are particularly interested in supporting the next generation of choral musicians. Please help us!

Meritáge offers unique benefits to the community. Currently, Meritáge is the only Anaheim-based community choir. Currently the city of Anaheim does not have a performing arts center and does not have a designated performing group. Through its concerts, Meritáge makes the choral arts accessible to all members of the local community. We also reach out to underserved Orange County high schools whose music programs might not be able to support the kind of concerts we invite them to participate in.