Apr 5, 2002 3 min read

The mystical music of movies and the theme “Let’s Go to the Movies” will be presented in concert by the Greater Uniontown Chorale at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at the State Theater Center for the Arts in Uniontown. The chorale will take the audience down memory lane with such songs as “Get Me to the Church on Time,” “Singin’ In The Rain,” “When I Fall In Love” and “Where the Boys Are.”

The romance and adventure of the cinema will come alive as Uniontown’s 40-voice choral ensemble sings Mac Huff’s “Cinemagic,” a choral revue of movie themes and songs spanning eight decades of movie magic.

“The enchantment of the cinema is an irreplaceable part of our everyday culture,” said Nancy Shockey, the chorale’s public relations spokesperson. “And the music from these movies is as memorable as the stars. Celebrate the silver screen and Hollywood’s musical history in this upbeat musical revue treat.”

The performance is accomplished through the commitment of volunteer performers and the professional and expert direction of its founder, William M. Dreucci. The chorale’s first concert was performed in 1974.

Dreucci has directed the chorale in a variety of programs over the years including Mozart’s “Requiem” Mendelssohn’s “Eliijah” Handel’s “Messiah” and Menotti’s “Amahl and the Night Visitors.”

There have also been concerts on a lighter note such as “A Gershwin Program,” “One Hundred Years of Broadway” and A “Tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein.”

Dreucci has directed the chorale in joint concerts with the Westmoreland Symphony and the Johnstown Symphony. The choral group has also sung with the Dallas Brass and the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh.

Dreucci is director of music at Asbury United Methodist Church in Uniontown. He is a retired public school music educator and public relations coordinator in the Beth-Center School District where he spent 34 years.

The chorale announces that their statement of purpose is “to bring fine quality choral music to the community through its own performances or by bringing in others, to provide other musical or dramatic entertainment and to generally raise the cultural level of the community.”

This was highlighted when in 1980 the mayor of Uniontown, Paul Bortz, named the chorale the “Official Music Voice” of the city of Uniontown.

The chorale will soon celebrate its 28th year. During that time, many outreach programs have been performed.

In 1996, the chorale helped to celebrate the city’s 200th anniversary with a concert at the Uniontown Library. The chorale was part of the Lyric Mountain Concert Series at the Great Meadows Amphitheater and performed for the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) at the Mount Summit Inn. They have performed concerts at Otterbein Methodist Church in Connellsville and at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa in Farmington.

Joanna L. Ball has accompanied the chorale for 15 years. She previously accompanied the Connellsville Community Chorus for 13 years. Ball is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music with a master’s degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She is presently organist at Trinity Lutheran and First Baptist churches in Connellsville.

Shockey said the chorale will dazzle the audiences at their concert on April 27th by “moving them into a evening of retrospect as they revisit the fond memories of decades of movie charm and magic.”

Tickets for the concert are available at Ellis Music Store in Uniontown, Atkins Music Center in Connellsville, Amends in the Uniontown Mall and the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Uniontown.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Tickets will also be available at the door the night of the concert. For additional information, call 724-628-3382.