Harrisburg, PA - Founded in 1996, the Central PA Oratorio Singers study and present classical oratorio masterworks for the audience of the 21st century, while faithfully respecting and embracing the intentions of their creators. Join us for an afternoon of Bruckner’s Mass in E Minor, Daniel Pinkham’s Christmas Cantata, and more: Saturday November 11, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary - Pine Street Presbyterian Church - 310 N 3rd Street, Harrisburg. Thank you for your continued support!

Rehearsals!

Fall 2017 Concert @
Pine Street Presbyterian Church
310 North 3rd Street
Harrisburg PA 17101
717-238-9304

"Bruckner and Beyond"

Free street parking surrounds the church starting at 7:00 p.m. There’s also a free surface lot a half-block away where most of our choir members park, named the Vartan lot. Free parking is also available in the South Street Garage, located directly across the street from the church, but most people find it easier to park outside. Our custodian and several Pine Street members will be here to help you if you have any questions about the garage.

Fall 2016 Concert

Central PA Oratorio Singers and
Market Square Presbyterian Church
are pleased to present

Handel's Messiah
and Bach's Cantata 29:
We Thank Thee God, We Thank Thee

with Chorus, Soloists & Orchestra
Brett A. Terry, Conductor

Sunday November 6 at 3 pm
Market Square Presbyterian Church

Tickets
$18 General Admission
$10 Seniors and Student

Brett A. Terry

Please welcome Brett A. Terry as the conductor-in-residence of the CPOS! Get to know more about Brett here.

Directions and Parking

Market Square Presbyterian Church
20 South 2nd Street ~ Harrisburg PA 17101
(717) 257-1270

The Market Square Garage is attached to the church building, offering secure, free, well-lit and convenient parking on the date of the concert and rehearsals. Drive into the garage from South 2nd street. Entrance to the Sanctuary is from the garage's 1st level. Be sure to bring your ticket with you to the sanctuary where you may exchange it for a free voucher. 

Click Directions & Parking for detailed directions and maps.

From the Podium

  • Fall 2016 Concert Announcement Dear friend of the CPOS, G.F. Handel’s Messiah holds a special place in music history among the truly timeless masterworks. Every year, I revisit this great oratorio, and ...
    Posted Oct 5, 2016, 4:56 PM by admin user
  • Mass Appeal Mass Appeal is the title of our 2015 program and features two of the most appealing settings of the mass texts in all the literature. I am pleased to introduce ...
    Posted Aug 9, 2015, 4:59 PM by admin user
  • French Flair! More from Eric 20 May 2014 Some years ago, during the time I was Director of Music at First United Methodist Church in Cleveland, OH, Chris and I hitched a ride on a ...
    Posted Sep 5, 2014, 2:41 PM by admin user
Showing posts 1 - 3 of 7. View more »

Inspiration for the Season

"The marvels of God are not rought forth from one's self / Rather, it is more like a chord, a sound that is played / The tone does not come out of the chord itself / but rather, through the touch of the musician / I am, of course, the lyre and harp of God's kindness." Read more about Hildegard of Bingen

Open Chorus - Sing with Us!

Interested in joining the chorus? Interested in auditioning for a soloist part? Click this sign-up link, which will take you to a Google form. Fill in the required information, and be sure to click the "Submit" button! Read about our upcoming Fall 2017 Concert by clicking here.

Support the CPOS

Thank you for your physical presence at our concerts, and especially for your monetary support through ticket purchases and patronage. We appreciate your continued support! Click below to purchase tickets or to donate as a patron.


The CPOS is a volunteer-based organization committed to performing the great Oratorio masterworks for your enjoyment. Proceeds from ticket sales and patronage donations are used to directly offset rehearsal, parking and productions costs.

Interested to advertise is our program? Please email the administrator admin@cposingers.com, or use the Contact Us page. Thank you!

Sing With Us!

Join Brett and the CPOS chorus in a rousing performance of Handel's timeless masterpiece and the Bach Cantata 29, with orchestra! Rehearsals are on Tuesday evenings beginning September 13 from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. Dress rehearsal is the morning of Saturday November 5, and the concert performance is on Sunday November 6 at 3:00 pm. All activities are located at Market Square Presbyterian Church.

To sign-up for the chorus or request an audition for a soloist part, click this sign-up link. It will take you to a Google form. Fill in the required information, and be sure to click its "Submit" button!  While you are waiting for the next rehearsal, here is a calendar, the rehearsal plan, and a photo of us to hold you over!



Soloist auditions for Bach commence after rehearsal on September 20th. Please see below documents for individual parts.

Replenish, Refresh and Renew

Psalm 96:1
O sing unto the Lord a new song:
Sing unto the Lord, all the earth.

The CPOS invites all who are able to sing with us, for we are called to replenish, refresh and renew so that our mission is sustainable and ever-growing in the glory of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen!

Fall 2016 Concert Announcement from Brett

Central PA Oratorio Singers
Market Square Presbyterian Church
20 South Second St. Harrisburg, PA 17101

www.cposingers.com

October 5, 2016

Dear friend of the CPOS,

G.F. Handel’s Messiah holds a special place in music history among the truly timeless masterworks. Every year, I revisit this great oratorio, and every year it reveals even more from the treasury of its composition. Just from seeing the words, I imagine you can instantly recall the opening notes of “Hallelujah,” “For unto Us a Child Is Born,” or “And the Glory of the Lord,” to name a few. From hauntingly beautiful vocal lines to toe-tappers, the Messiah is possibly one of the greatest collections of Western classical “hits” we have, and for good reason!

Joined with the Messiah is J.S. Bach’s Cantata 29, “Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir,” or “We thank thee, God, we thank thee.” Bach composed it in 1731 for the inauguration of a new town council. As you’ll hear, from the intricate counterpoint of the vocal lines to the high-energy instrumental writing, this cantata is truly a gem, made even more appropriate for the season by the abounding themes of thanksgiving. The music was so good, in fact, that Bach himself copied and used various portions of it in other works of his over the years. The most notable self-plagiarism of the master was taking the first choral movement and unashamedly copying it for multiple places in his famous B-Minor Mass, including the “Gratias agimus tibi” from the Gloria and the closing chorus, “Dona nobis pacem.”

For our entire twenty-year history, the Central PA Oratorio Singers have been able to pay all production costs through individual donations and ticket sales. We need your help to continue to bring this glorious literature to life for audiences and singers in our area. Please consider making a 100% tax-deductible contribution to CPOS through the patronage page.

Tickets may be purchased from singers, or online tickets page for $16 plus a small service fee, or at-the-door for $18 (Seniors / students $10). Please give as you can, and please come and enjoy the concert. The concert will be held at Market Square Presbyterian Church at 3:00 PM on Sunday, November 6, 2016.

Bach, Handel, and the Central PA Oratorio Singers. I can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I hope you’ll join us for a great afternoon of really great music!

Brett A. Terry, Conductor in Residence

"Sing for the Moment"