J.D. Goddard founded the Master Singers Chorale of Northeast Ohio in May of 2001.  He founded MSC on the premise that its performances of serious, classical choral masterworks could and would thrive in Northeast Ohio.

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Dr. Goddard was approached by a group of friends and musicians from the Akron area and asked to start such a choral organization which could accomplish this end. 
 

The founding of the Master Singers Chorale was the product of an inspiration to achieve and accomplish something from a heartfelt desire of Dr. Goddard's to prove that it not only could be accomplished but more importantly to prove that the great choral masterworks of past and present  will continue to be appreciated throughout the Northeast Ohio area by listeners and singers alike. 

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Dr. Goddard, using his own personal finances, paid for advertisements in area newspapers which announced the formation of a large choral group encompassing the entire Northeast Ohio area.  The growth of MSC can only be attributed to "rapid and enthusiastic word of mouth". For the first Master Singer's Inc. Chorale rehearsal (May, 2001), 37 people were in attendance.  In  that  first rehearsal, Dr. Goddard was acquainted with only 3 of the 37 singers in attendance.  Thereafter, new singers attended, registered, and were accepted as members.  Dr. Goddard very proudly states, "we audition singers to include, not to exclude."

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The response to the Master Singers Chorale by members of the community has been nothing short of fervent, enthusiastic, supportive, spirited, and devoted to a new approach and style of choral rehearsal and presentation unlike that of any other large community choral groups in the area.

Dr. Goddard founded the Master Singers, given the following circumstances.....

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no backing...., no core group of singers...., no music...., no rehearsal venue...., no financial sponsor(s)...., no university choral organization affiliation...., no pre-selected Board of Directors...., no solicited money...., no non-profit status...., no expectations...., no co-founder...., no promises made...., (and) on the blind faith that people of all walks of life and ages would and could join together, want to sing and work hard, and be allowed to sing with the freedom and encouragement to not only interpret the softness of a pianissimo but to also express and explore the emotions of their hearts and voices with their God-given full range of vocal dynamics and vocal abilities.

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MSC has become critically recognized as one of Northeast Ohio's finest large community choral ensembles. The Master Singers Chorale specializes in a broad range of choral literature, from a cappella works to major choral-orchestral masterpieces representative of all eras of classical choral literature.  

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Dr. Goddard established the Master Singers Chorale with an absolute open-door policy. Dr. Goddard Retired after his final concert on August 12, 2018.