RESOURCES
Links to other Chattanooga-area music and arts organizations
ARTS FUNDING AND PROMOTION
ArtsBuild is a private, nonprofit united arts fund and arts council. ArtsBuild provides a united voice for all cultural organizations and activities in Hamilton County.
The Tennessee Arts Commission is a group of 15 commissioners broadly representative of all geographic areas of the state of Tennessee and all fields of the performing, visual and literary arts. Convening quarterly, the purpose of the Commission is to offer a variety of distinct funding opportunities to encourage participation in arts activities in communities across all 95 counties of Tennessee.
The Performing Arts League is dedicated to promoting and encouraging youth involvement in the performing arts in Dance, Music, & Theater through grants to Hamilton County, TN non-profit performing arts organizations and scholarships to individual students.
The MacDowell Music Club of Chattanooga promotes high standards of musical performance by its members and in the community at large.
CHOIRS
The Chattanooga Bach Choir provides an opportunity to sing lesser performed choral works of the Baroque period and choral-orchestral masterworks and chamber choral music of all periods. It is led by David Long. The Bach Choir draws members from diverse backgrounds and occupations and represents a range of Chattanooga’s finest amateur and professional singers and instrumentalists.
Choral Arts of Chattanooga was created in 1985 to provide an opportunity for professionally trained singers to perform choral masterpieces. It is led by Darrin Hassevoort.
Scenic City Chorus is a women's a cappella group affiliated with Sweet Adelines International. It is focused on performing in the Barbershop style.
Chorus Angelorum of Chattanooga was formed during the Covid-19 pandemic to provide good locally produced choral music to home-bound listeners via online venues. It currently is focused on providing free online and in-person concerts in the Chattanooga area. Composed of the best professional and local vocalists, the choir draws its members from a variety of diverse backgrounds and occupations. It is led by Janelle Wigal Wagoner.
Voci Virili is a top semi-professional men’s chorus based in the Chattanooga area. It is led by Harv Wileman.
Scenic City Chorale is a large choir made up of mostly retired professional and amateur musicians that still enjoy singing beautiful music. They perform 2 or 3 concerts per year in the Chattanooga area, usually at Brainerd United Methodist Church.
Chattanooga Girls Choir helps girls become extraordinary young women through choral music education and artistic performance experiences. This exceptional musical – and life – education is for girls throughout the greater Chattanooga area in the third through twelfth grades. Executive Director is Sara Snider Schone and Artistic Director is Kimberly Keck, with support by other Chattanooga music notables such as Betty Anne Neal and John Wigal.
Chattanooga Boys Choir is a world-renowned choir for boys. Membership is drawn from boys all over the Chattanooga area, and intensive training, including music theory, is provided. The Chattanooga Boys Choir takes pride in preparing its choristers for lifelong participation in music-making and the choral arts. This choir has traveled the world over, has helped boys turn into men, and has hosted many community initiatives. It is currently led by Vincent Oakes, Artistic Director and Dawn Oakes, Executive Director. The CMC’s own Christine Hassevoort provides music theory lab instruction.
Choo Choo Chorus is a male barbershop choir based in Chattanooga, singing romantic melodies in close 4-part harmony and providing entertaining humor that appeal to a wide variety of audiences. The Chorus provides community service by singing for patriotic events and an annual Christmas benefit for a local charity, and also perform for paid events such as private parties and corporate meetings. It is led by Jimmy Tompkins, and is associated with the Barbershop Harmony Society. They also sing in competitions with other barbershop choruses in the Southeast.
The Chattanooga Symphony and Opera is the premier venue for the performance of large symphonic and choral works in Chattanooga, and also offers opera performances featuring mostly local talent, drawing on the many fine musicians in the Chattanooga and surrounding areas. The orchestra is lead by Music Director Kayoko Dan and the Chorus is led by Darrin Hassevoort.
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
The mission of the American Guild of Organists is to enrich lives through organ and choral music.
Chattanooga Flute Society is a venue for well-trained flutists in the Chattanooga area to share their talents with the community. They perform at various churches and community centers around the area, and have hosted flute choir camps for aspiring flutists.
String Theory at the Hunter is a chamber music series bringing inspiring evenings of the best chamber music to Chattanooga’s Hunter Museum of American Art. Offering superb musical performances in an artistically satisfying setting, this series will feature some of the world’s most sought after musicians.
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra is a 50-member college/community orchestra that includes university music majors and non-majors. These talented people are students at academic institutions such as UTC and Chattanooga State Community College, but can also include UTC music faculty members, area music educators, and other talented amateur and professional musicians from the region. It is led by the CMC’s very talented symphonic and choral conductor Sandy Morris.
Dalton/Whitfield Community Band - since 2012, this steadily growing group of around 60 instrumentalists gives rousing concerts at Northwest Whitfield High School and other venues in the Dalton, Georgia area. The group features seasoned professional musicians, school band directors, high school students, and other talented individuals.
The Cleveland Pops Band - this is an up and coming group that provides music enrichment for individuals in the Cleveland TN community, supports community events, and engenders pride in the community and nation. Performances are given in churches and other venues, along with Community Outreach Concerts which are presented in various locations in Cleveland where people might not otherwise hear the Pops perform. This group features all levels of musical training and accomplishment, from high school level to professional. Along with general performances, they give concerts to honor veterans and first responders.