About Us
Formed in 2017, The Gettysburg Choral Society, Inc. is an auditioned regional chorus of auditioned singers.
Mission Statement: The Gettysburg Choral Society, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization composed of auditioned singers who utilize their talents to pursue excellence in choral music performance.
The chorus is open to all singers ages 18 and above who match the specific needs of the chorus and demonstrate vocal competence. Prior choral singing experience, the ability to read music, match pitch and blend are a requirement.
We rehearse on Monday evenings from March through May, and September through mid-December at 7-9pm at St. James Lutheran Church in Gettysburg, PA.
Auditions are held prior to the beginning of each rehearsal cycle and are by appointment only.
Meet our team
With the goal of forming a group that would seek to inspire with good choral music done well, Julie Strickland and John McKay co-founded The Gettysburg Choral Society in 2017.
In 2022, the organization became The Gettysburg Choral Society, Inc., thus becoming a successful 501(c)(3), fully tax-exempt, charitable organization.
John McKay, Artistic Director & Conductor
John McKay grew up singing, but it wasn’t until high school that he was exposed to some extraordinary musical experiences. Having been selected to participate in county, regional and state choruses, he had the opportunity to sing with some of the country’s greatest choral conductors of the time, including Vito Mason, Paul Salamunovich and Robert Page. After entering the University of Richmond, he sang with another great choral director, James Erb, a former member of the Robert Shaw Chorale. Joining Erb’s university chorus on a tour of Europe was a transformative experience, as was singing in the Richmond Symphony Chorus’ inaugural performance of Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis.” Under Erb’s direction, the chorus experienced a magnificent performance led by Robert Shaw.
After receiving a B.A. in voice from UR, John’s graduate studies took him to The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for more musical training in voice and conducting. At Eastern Kentucky University, he had more intensive voice instruction and earned the M.M. in choral conducting. As graduate assistant, he directed the university singers in several selections in Notre Dame Cathedral, during the chorus’ European tour. Following his master’s degree, he did extensive graduate work in musicology at the Catholic University of America.
As a tenor soloist, he sang with numerous groups such as the United States Continental Army Band and the Richmond Sinfonia. He was the music director at Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Richmond, VA. During this time, he was also a special correspondent (music critic) for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, writing 500 reviews and feature stories. This afforded him the opportunity to hear some of America’s finest choral ensembles, meet world class musicians, and explore non-Western musical traditions, such as Indian classical music and Tibetan Opera.
A native of Richmond, Virginia, John lives in Abbottstown with his wife, Dr. Gretchen McKay and Zephyr, their special beagle.
Julie Strickland, President & Manager
Julie Strickland graduated Cum Laude and received a B.A. in theatre performance from Elizabethtown College with a dual minor in communications and English professional writing. A native of Gettysburg, PA, she serves as Vice President of her family’s business, Strickland Enterprises, Inc. Julie is also the Communications Manager for Cantate Children's and Youth Choir in Lynchburg, VA.
During her youth, Julie studied piano with Barbara Finstad and clarinet with Robert Zellner. Music was a huge part of her life and she participated in concert, marching and county band, Pennsylvania All-State Lions Band, and in orchestra (including in the pit for several musicals) at Gettysburg Area School District. During her college career and for several years afterward, she studied voice privately and was active in straight plays and musicals at theatres located in Lancaster, Hershey, Elizabethtown, Ephrata and Gettysburg, PA. Some favorite roles included Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Olivia in Twelfth Night and the Blue Fairy in Pinocchio. Julie served as President of her college's theatre club, Sock & Buskin, Vice President of Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Society, Chair of Consistory for her church, and Vice President of the Board of Directors at Totem Pole Playhouse.
Julie previously worked for the American Cancer Society and Fulton Theatre in Lancaster, PA, and has a passion for the nonprofit world. She hopes to do more volunteering with animal rescues as her schedule allows. Julie has two beagles, Sophia Belle and Ellie Mae.
Erin Petrella, Accompanist
Erin Petrella holds a B.A. in Music (piano) with an emphasis in Composition and Arranging from Asbury University in Wilmore, KY and the Service Playing and Colleague Certificates from the American Guild of Organists. She studied piano with Denise Mathias, Dr. Donald Zent, and Yvonne Jenkins, composition with Dr. Ron Holz and Dr. Vicki Bell, and organ with Mark Mathias, Rebecca Lepore, and Wayne Wold.
Erin is active as an accompanist and has worked with vocalists, instrumentalists and choral groups in addition to teaching piano privately. She is the organist at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Hagerstown, MD and has served as Organist and Director of Music in episcopal and Moravian churches, as well as having service playing experiences in various other denominations.
Erin is a member of the Frederick County Music Teachers Association, which is an affiliate of the Maryland State Music Teachers Association, and Music Teachers National Association. She is also a member of the Central Maryland and Cumberland Valley Chapters of the American Guild of Organists. Erin resides in Thurmont, MD with her husband, Jay, and their son, Aiden.
Peggy Haas Howell, Guest Organist for December 5th and 6th, 2025
Peggy Haas Howell is the organist and choirmaster at St. John’s Episcopal Church and music director of Cantate Children’s and Youth Choir in Lynchburg, VA. She is the National Vice President and Councillor for Competitions and New Music for the American Guild of Organists. Called a “play-anything virtuoso” by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, she is well-known as a recitalist and has played concerts in England, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Hungary and Poland as well as the United States. Recent engagements have included recitals for the Atlanta Summer Organ Festival and the International Organ Festival in Pelplin, Poland. Ms. Howell won first prize in the National Young Artists Organ Playing Competition of the American Guild of Organists (1974) and a shared top prize at the St. Alban’s International Organ Interpretation Competition in England (1977). She has recorded for the BBC, Sender Freies Berlin, the Finnish Broadcasting Service and Raven Recordings. Before moving to Virginia in 1996, Ms. Howell taught organ for 10 years at Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Ms. Howell graduated from Susquehanna University with a Bachelor of Arts in Church Music degree and from Union Theological Seminary with a Master of Sacred Music degree. She also attended the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Hamburg, Germany. Her organ teachers have included Harald Vogel, Cherry Rhodes, Heinz Wunderlich, Charles Dodsley Walker and James Boeringer. She is married to organ builder, Richard Howell.