The Orpheus Singers
Making Music since May 2012
The Orpheus Singers
Making Music since May 2012
About Us
Formed in May 2012 by Dr. Christopher Kiver, the Orpheus Singers is an auditioned chamber choir comprising community members and students at Penn State University. The choir comes together for specific projects. The Orpheus Singers has performed with groups such as the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra and Altoona Symphony Orchestra, at venues such as the Music at Penn’s Woods Festival (sponsored by Penn State University) and the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, and in larger productions such as Leonard Bernstein’s Mass (presented by Penn State University in April 2013), and Puccini’s La Bohème (March 2015).
Book us! The Orpheus Singers is available to perform in the State College / Altoona / Harrisburg area. For more information, email theorpheussingers@gmail.com.
Come sing with us! To learn more about upcoming projects and to arrange an audition, please email theorpheussingers@gmail.com.
Upcoming & Past Performances
Upcoming & Past Performances
Upcoming Performances
Love Songs, Daydreams, & Bedtime Stories
Sunday, October 27th, 2024 @ 4pm
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County
Buy tickets here!
#twitterlieder: from youth to old age
Sunday, February 23rd, 2025 @ 4pm
State College Presbyterian Church
Buy tickets here!
Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil
In collaboration with Grantham Consort
June 14th, 2025 @ 7pm, State College Presbyterian Church
June 15th @ 4pm, Christ the Savior Orthodox Church, Harrisburg
Tickets available soon!
PAST PERFORMANCES
Sunday, February 25th: Meditations on the Cross @ Faith United Church of Christ, State College, PA
Friday, October 27th, 2023: Afternoon on a Hill: Classical & Contemporary Choral Works @ Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, University Park, PA
Sunday, November 6th, 2022: Come In: Works by Aaron Copland, Randall Thompson, and Gerald Finzi @ Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, University Park, PA
Wednesday, July 13th, 2022: Pat Farrell Community Sing Along at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts
Friday, December 13th, 2019: Midwinter Carols @ Grace Lutheran Church, State College, PA
Sunday, September 22, 2019: Love & Lamentations @ Grace Lutheran Church, State College, PA
Sunday, December 9, 2018: A Classical Christmas Celebration with the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra @ The State Theatre, State College, PA
Tuesday, July 31, 2018: Bar Choir! An informal rehearsal & performance @ Barrel 21 distillery, State College, PA
Saturday, April 7, 2018: Orff's Carmina Burana with the Penn State University Concert Choir, State College Area High School Mastersingers, and Altoona Symphony Orchestra
Sunday, December 10th, 2017: Handel's Messiah with the Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra @ The State Theatre, State College, PA
Saturday, June 17, 2017: Bach's Magnificat with the Music at Penn's Woods Orchestra @ Esber Recital Hall, Penn State University
Sunday, December 11th, 2016, 7:30pm: Handel's Messiah with the Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra @ Schwab Auditorium, Penn State University
Wednesday, December 14th, 2016, 7:30pm: Handel's Messiah with the Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra@ Faith United Methodist Church, Bellefonte, PA
Wednesday, April 20th, 2016: "Sacred & Profane" (with Music at the Palmer @ the Palmer Museum of Art, Penn State University)
Wednesday, December 16th, 2015: Handel's Messiah (with the Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra @ Faith United Methodist Church, Bellefonte, PA)
Sunday, December 13th, 2015: Handel's Messiah (with the Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra @ Schwab Auditorium, Penn State University)
Thursday, July 9th, 2015: I Hear America Singing! From Billings to Broadway (with the Central PA Arts Festival @ the State College Presbyterian Church, State College, PA)
Saturday, March 28th & Sunday, March 29th, 2015: Puccini's La Bohème (with the Penn State School of Music and the Center for Performing Arts @ Eisenhower Auditorium, Penn State University)
Wednesday, December 17th, 2014: Handel's Messiah (with the Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra @ the First Presbyterian Church, Hollidaysburg, PA)
Monday, December 15th, 2014: Handel's Messiah (with the Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra @ Our Lady of Victory Church, State College, PA)
Thursday, July 10th, 2014: "Sweet Lovers Love the Spring" (with the Central PA Arts Festival)
Wednesday, April 16th, 2014: "The Art of Music: Sweet Lovers Love the Spring" (with Music at the Palmer @ the Palmer Museum of Art, Penn State University)
Thursday, December 5th, 2013: Handel's Messiah (with the Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra @ the State College Alliance Church, State College, PA)
Wednesday, April 17, 2013: "Five Mystical Songs" (Vaughan Williams) and "Orpheus with His Lute" (Macfarren) (with Music at the Palmer @ the Palmer Museum of Art, Penn State University)
Friday, April 5, 2013: Leonard Bernstein's Mass (with the Penn State School of Music and the Center for the Performing Arts @ the Eisenhower Auditorium)
Wednesday, June 13, 2012: Music at Penns Woods Chamber Music Concert
Our Team
Description of the director and executive committee for the Orpheus Singers.
Our Team
Description of the director and executive committee for the Orpheus Singers.
Jacob Mandell, Director
Jacob Mandell is an active choral director, educator, conductor, and presenter throughout Pennsylvania. From Clearfield, Pennsylvania, Jacob received his Bachelors of Science in Music Education from Messiah University with a double concentration in voice and saxophone studies. There, he studied choral and orchestral conducting with Linda Tedford and Timothy Dixon. He then received his Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from Simpson College, where he studied with Matthew Oltman, Tim McMillin, Amy Voorhees, Philip Moody, Vince Peterson, and Pete Eklund. In addition to his post with the Orpheus Singers, Jacob currently serves as the director of choirs and drama in the Curwensville Area School District, where he leads the junior-high, senior-high, and select choirs, as well as leading the annual school musical. Jacob also serves as the artistic director and co-conductor for the Clearfield Choral Society, as well as a conducting instructor for the Department of Liturgical Music for the Orthodox Church in America. Outside of conducting and teaching, he enjoys spending time with his family, his dogs, cooking, and being involved with his church.
The Executive Committee
The Orpheus Singers Executive Committee is made up of a group of dedicated volunteers who steer and support efforts relating to strategic planning, logistics, development, financial accounting, and promotion. Our current executive board members are: Rachel W. M. Galloway, President; Sandi Rockwell, Treasurer; Cate Fricke, Marketing/PR; and Karen Simring, Development. If you would be interested in serving on the Executive Committee, please email us at theorpheussingers@gmail.com.
Support Us
Support Us
By making a tax-deductible donation to the Orpheus Singers, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, you’re supporting Centre County’s premiere chamber choir and supporting the arts in central Pennsylvania. Thank you!