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The Michael O'Neal Singers is comprised of a symphonic chorus of 140 auditioned voices and a professional chamber ensemble of 20 voices.
Now in its twelfth season of presenting a diverse repertoire of choral music ranging from choral masterworks to popular standards,
the singers reflect a cross section of the citizens of the metropolitan Atlanta area and range in experience from dedicated amateur musicians to veteran professional musicians.
Recognizing that music is essential to the human spirit, The Michael O'Neal Singers seeks to enrich the
quality of life in the community through performance of choral literature that is interesting and enjoyable to the audience as well as challenging and rewarding for the singers.
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In presenting its annual subscription series, the chorus has collaborated with other
performing arts organizations including Georgia Sinfonia, the Atlanta Wind Symphony, Orchestra Atlanta, and The Gwinnett Young Singers.
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Previous European tours have included performances at England's Westminster Abbey and Canterbury and Coventry Cathedrals, Notre Dame Cathedral
and Sacre Coeur Basilica in Paris, and the Haydn Festival in Austria, as well as appearances throughout Germany, Italy and Austria. Performances by The Michael O'Neal Singers are frequently played on
Atlanta's classical music radio station WABE-90.1 FM, and have been featured on the nationally syndicated First Art radio broadcast.
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In May 2000, members of The Michael O'Neal Singers and the Roswell UMC Sanctuary Choir, under the direction of Michael O'Neal,
performed Schubert's Mass in G at New York City's acclaimed Carnegie Hall. In July 2000, singers from the chorus traveled to Ireland for the Irish premiere of MOS's first commissioned work – Mary McAuliffe's Return to Old Ireland – with the Culwick Choral Society at the National Concert Hall in
Dublin.
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has called The Michael O'Neal Chamber Singers "the finest small chorus to emerge in more than a decade". With a repertoire spanning centuries and styles, the region's premiere professional chorus appears on concert series at area colleges, and for corporate and civic events.
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Special appearances have included the state convention of the Georgia Music Educators Association, the Georgia Chapter convention of
the American Choral Directors Association, the DeKalb International Choral Festival, the Emory Choral Festival, and annual performances on the concert series
at the Gwinnett Fine Arts Center and Spivey Hall at Clayton College and State University. Recorded performances featuring the MOCS can be heard on Sacred Sounds of John Rutter, Alleluia: A Randall Thompson Tribute, and Songs of the South.
In 1999, MOCS was featured in a Georgia Public Television special chronicling the arts in Georgia.
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The Michael O'Neal Singers have three nationally released recordings on the aca Digital Recording label.
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Sacred Sounds of John Rutter
(1996) which includes Te Deum, Requiem, and other selected titles by the prolific English composer has received accolades from music critics, such as the following comment in the American Record
Guide…"While the Requiem by the O'Neal choir equals Rutter's in enunciation, intonation, phrasing, and balance, it seems more intimate, more hushed and covered"…. "the
O'Neal choir is as professional as one could want".
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Choral Gems: Favorite Sacred Classics released
September 1997 features well-known choruses from masterworks by the great composers, including such favorites as "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" (Bach), "The
Heavens Are Telling" (Haydn), "How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place" (Brahms), and "Hallelujah" and "Worthy Is the Lamb" from Messiah (Handel). (Currently available only as a cassette)
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Alleluia: A Randall Thompson Tribute
(Fall 1998) with performances by the full chorus and The Michael O'Neal Chamber Singers includes The Peaceable Kingdom, The Last Words of David, and selections from Frostiana and Testament of Freedom. Critics say… "In many ways it is the equal of the Shaw (recording)" .…"these singers obviously care an enormous amount about what they're doing."
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Recordings released locally include Highlights from "The Creation" which features choruses and
selected solos from the May 1999 performance with the Roswell UMC Sanctuary Choir and Georgia Sinfonia, and Songs of the South, a collection of
spirituals, folk tunes, and hymns from the Southern tradition.
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Released in October, 2000, Carols of Christmas is the first
Christmas collection from The Michael O'Neal Singers, and features the full chorus performing settings of favorite carols by such arrangers as Sir David Willcocks, John Rutter, and Alice Parker.
 In May 2001, MOS released The Music of Ireland, which includes the world premiere performance of Mary McAuliffe's Return to Old Ireland, commissioned for the MOS tenth
anniversary season.
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