The Mohawk Valley Chorus came into existence when two organizations combined in 1948; the Mohawk Mills Glee Club, first conducted in 1935 by John A. Gillies, and the Mohawk Carpet Mills Ladies' Glee Club, formed by director Reginald Harris in 1941. Early financial support came from Mohawk Carpet Mills, which became Mohasco Industries, Inc. During those years the Chorus performed in area concerts, Army camps, hospitals, televison specials, and War Bond drives.
The group incorporated as the Mohawk Valley Chorus in 1962, financially self-sufficient and under the direction of Carl M. Steubing. A highlight of those years was a World's Fair appearance in New York City. Subsequently the chorus was directed by Henry F. Sullivan.
The Chorus appeared in combined concerts with the Mendelssohn Club of Albany and the Musical Club of Troy, on television programs, and a Scotia's Freedom Park during the 1976 Bicentennial. In recent years it has been the recipient of grants from the New York State Council of the Arts.
John H. Nethaway took over in 1979 and served
for 30 years. His retirement in 2009 made way for the sixth director, David M. Rossi. The chorus, in recent years, has given special performances with the Olympic Torch Bearers in Amsterdam, at Proctor’s Theatre’s Organ Dedication ceremony, at the Amsterdam Bicentennial celebration. It has combined with the Depot Lane Singers of Schoharie, the Schenectady County Community College Chorus and Brass Ensemble, the Oneida Area Civic Chorale, the
Champlain Valley Chorale and the Pleasant Valley Chorale and performed with the St. Cecilia Orchestra and the
Starliters. It has also been featured at numerous local programs, including the Noteworthy Company’s Christmas festivities and with the Schenectady Symphony at RiverLink Park. In addition, we have had European singing tours every other summer for the past decade or so.
A student scholarship established in 1992 is awarded to a high school senior or junior each year. There are now 100 members from Fulton, Montgomery, Schenectady, Saratoga, Schoharie, Albany
and Hamilton counties in the main chorus, as well as three other performing groups - the MVC Kids and the MVC Youth Chorale, directed by Amanda Grab and Giovanna Savoie; and the Mohawk Valley Chamber Ensemble (MVCE), under the direction of Stephanie Podolec. Ms. Podolec also manages the MVC Kids.