Mission and History

Mission Statement

The Gloria Musicæ Singers are a select ensemble of auditioned singers whose combined talent and professional experience make them unique. Their name, from the Latin for glory of music, expresses the ensemble’s commitment to excellence in the performance of vocal music. Their repertoire spans six centuries and includes major works with orchestra, intimate madrigals, church motets, folk songs, close-harmony jazz, and Broadway show music. Among its purposes is to sing premiere performances of little known works of value in order to broaden the public’s knowledge and appreciation of the richness of the choral art.

Organization History

Gloria Musicæ was founded in 1979 by Arden Fowler with Ann Stephenson-Moe and George Bledsoe, the group’s first conductor. It is composed of classically trained, compensated singers performing the highest quality music covering a broad spectrum of the choral literature.

A voting member of Chorus America, the Association of Professional Vocal Ensembles, since 1983, Gloria Musicæ was the first professional chorus in the Southeast. The Gloria Musicæ Singers have appeared in concert in Canada with the Edmonton Da Camera Singers, were a Chorus-in-Residence at the Classical Music Seminar-Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria, and have performed in the Rollins College Sacred Music Concert Series in Winter Park, Florida. In the spring of 2002, Gloria Musicæ performed five concerts in Italy, culminating in a mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome. They have sung at state conventions of the American Choral Directors Association and on WUSF and WEDU television. The ensemble has performed under the guest conductors Gregg Smith, Don V. Moses, John Motley, and Hugh Ross. Former music directors include George Bledsoe, Dr. Daniel Moe, Dr. Stephen Hodge, Dr. David L. Brunner, Alfred Gershfeld and Dr. Elwood Smith.