The Lubbock Civic Chorale began in September 1976, following numerous enthusiastic performances by a "sing-along" group during the city’s Bicentennial celebration. That first group was only a handful of singers who had a dream of creating choral excellence on the South Plains. Over the years, the group grew to a viable force in Lubbock. It successfully performed the works of such composers as Bach
, Mozart, Haydn and Brahms. Most of these were accompanied by piano until the spring of 1985, when the Chorale was asked to perform with the Texas Tech University choirs and the University Symphony Orchestra in the annual Scholarship Concerts. Following the 1987 Scholarship Concert, efforts were made to form a union between the civic and university forces. The Lubbock Civic Chorale and the Texas Tech Choral Union merged into the University-Civic Chorale to provide musical interaction between Tech's college students, faculty and staff and singers in the community. The result has been outstanding as the Chorale continues to act as an independent musical organization with both youthful enthusiasm and mature aspirations. The combined forces created a chorale of substantial size, able to perform many of the major choral works with full orchestral accompaniment. Included in the chorale's recent repertoire are such works as G.F. Handel’s Messiah and contemporary works such as Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Karl Orff’s Carmina Burana, Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man: a Mass for Peace, and Bethoven’s monumental Ninth Symphony. The ensemble changed its name to The Lubbock Chorale in October 1992 and has steadily and consistently grown in stature and reputation to become a viable artistic force in the South Plains. Concert seasons now regularly include the presentation of choral masterworks with full symphony orchestra. Realizing its educational vision and mission, the Chorale also provides between 10-15 scholarships to music students each year. An internal body of participating members called the Administrative Council governs the Lubbock Chorale, and a vitally active Board of Directors guides the organization in development and community relations. In 2021, Alan Zabriskie, Ph.D. was named Artistic Director of The Lubbock Chorale. With exciting initiatives in advocacy, outreach, and education, the Chorale looks forward to continuing its tradition of presenting unique choral programs and artistic experiences to the Lubbock Community.
