Now seeking singers and paid section leaders!
About Us
Formed in 2017, The Gettysburg Choral Society Inc. is an auditioned regional chorus of volunteers.
Mission Statement: The Gettysburg Choral Society, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization composed of auditioned singers who volunteer 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 holds a B.A. in voice from the University of Richmond and an M.M. in choral conducting from Eastern Kentucky University, where he was graduate assistant to the director of choral activities. He has done additional graduate studies in music at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY and at The Catholic University in Washington, D.C. As a tenor soloist, John performed with the Richmond Sinfonia and with the United States Continental Army Band. He has been a guest director, lecturer and clinician at a number of Orthodox music conferences. For a number of years, he was the director of music and a cantor at Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Richmond, VA. Additionally, he has been music director in several Protestant denominations. For a decade he served as special correspondent (music critic) for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. John also serves as Vice President of the chorus.
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.