The North Carolina Master Chorale is the premier semi-professional choir for our region. Our impact includes
providing performance opportunities for our avocational singers, developing young singers through our youth choir, providing choral music to area choirs through our newly created lending library, providing choral support to other arts organizations, and providing high-level performances for our audiences.

The Master Chorale was founded as Raleigh Oratorio Society and their first concert performance was on April 11th, 1943. The North Carolina Master Chorale is an umbrella choral organization, meaning that it encompasses several types of choral ensembles. Our largest ensemble is our adult Symphonic Choir (175 singers), which is a volunteer choral ensemble. Our adult Chamber Choir (ranging from 16 - 60 singers) is a smaller professional choir, and our Youth Choir is a professionally directed honors choir for high school students. All of these choirs require high level auditions to be selected for participation.

The Master Chorale's season consists of 5-6 concerts for our adult choirs and one Youth Choir performance. The Youth Choir also participates in at least two Master Chorale adult choir concerts each year in addition to their own.

Due to the high caliber of the singers and the level of preparation, in 2014 Master Chorale was named the resident choir of the North Carolina Symphony, and provides choral support for the symphony for major choral works. We also provide the choir for Carolina Ballet performances. The North Carolina Master Chorale was awarded the Raleigh Medal of Arts and has been selected to provide choral concerts for both the North Carolina Choral Directors Association and the Southeastern US Choral Directors Conferences. In December 2006, the Master Chorale’s Joy of the Season was filmed for broadcast on UNC-TV. Ten years later, thanks to a generous gift from one of our donors, the Chorale again recorded their holiday concert, which still airs each December on UNC-TV.