Lois Johnson (1980 - 1999)

The name of the organization was changed to Utah Valley Choral Society in 1980 when Lois Johnson became the director. She retained the baton for eighteen years and established a yearly concert series. Utah Valley’s Messiah Sing-In was sponsored for sixteen years beginning in 1983.

Lois introduced music by local composers and arrangers and provided singers with the opportunity to perform Classical Masterworks as well as Broadway Show tunes. The Choral Society performed in the musical “Threads of Glory”, the Temple Square concert series, the Mozart Festival in Midway, and in Provo’s Freedom Festival.

3 December - UVCS performs their Christmas concert in the Provo Tabernacle. Included are several oratorios and classic Christmas Carols.  The conductor was Carol Johnson, of BYU, and the organist was Kerry Arbon, also a member of the BYU faculty.

1981

8 April - UVCS performs Cosi Fan Tutte at the Springville art museum.  The members of the choir at that time are:  Barbara and Charlene Anderson, Carol Bradley, Rick Bingham, Baerbel Klemisch, Robert Lundgren, J. David McKissock, Norma Mecham, Valerie Miller, J. Page Bowers, Janice Barrows, Beryl W. Clayton, Ruth Harding, Carol Lyn Nelson, Catherine Millet, Ron Richardson, Margaret Sanchez, Richard Tucker, Ruth Ann Hay, Rosemary Hooley, Doug Warren Johnson, Sigrid Klein, Sherman Wilson, Ann and Evan Whitaker, and Lora Whittle.

6 December - UVCS performs two Christmas concerts in Springville and Provo. 

1982

24 January - UVCS elected Marilyn Cowley and Beryl Clayton as co-presidents, Beth Monson as secretary, and Lorraine McGuire as publicity chairman. 

14 March - UVCS concert at a local Provo LDS church.  Old favorites of Elijah, several oratorios, and other classical works were performed.

2 July - UVCS performs in the Provo Festival of Freedom in a musical created by Lex de Azevado.

17 October - UVCS puts on a musical fireside in Orem with music from previous musical selections.

12 December - UVCS Christmas concerts in Springville and Orem

1983

The Utah Valley Messiah Sing-In was sponsored for 16 years starting in 1983 (until 1999)  

16 November - UVCS is officially incorporated and achieves non-profit status. Officers elected are Connie Erdmann, president; Beryl Clayton, vice-president; Kris Brown, secretary; and Beth Harris, Treasurer.

3 & 7 December - Annual Holiday concert by UVCS

16 December - First Annual Messiah Sing-In at the Provo Tabernacle.

1984

12 February - concert by UVCS including hymns and some original music by LDS composer, Robert Manookin.  Mr. Manookin was in attendance, as was JoAnn and Jerold Ottley. 

31 July - Concert at SCERA, for the grand opening of the SCERA Shell concert venue.  It was a Patriotic Pops concert.

October - UVCS begins a new project on the 2nd Sunday of every month for a ChoirSide.  The first meeting included many of the choirs in the valley.  They would each sing 2 songs and come together for a final number.

26 October - Choral Masterworks concert, including music from the classical masters, as well as Ralph Vaughan Williams, and others.

9 December - Messiah Sing-In

19 December - Christmas concert

31 December - New Year’s Eve Fundraiser Gala

1985

9 February - UVCS performs at the Assembly Hall at Temple Square, performing the music of Robert Manookin

1 March - UVCS participates in the Welsh Festival singing several Welsh songs.

1986

4 April - UVCS puts on a choir festival with 13 local groups.at the Provo Tabernacle. The choirs would combine for a rendition of The Battle Hymn of the Republic

1 October - Baroque to Broadway concert in the Provo Tabernacle honoring Dr. Bos.

5 December - Messiah Sing-In with soloists: Mary Ellen Brown, Susan Johnson, Harold Madsen and William Peterson.

17 December - Christmas concert

1987

12 February - An Evening with Rodgers and Hammerstein.

6 May - Brahms Requiem with soloists Carol Mahlum and Robert Sink, preceded by a short lecture on the importance of the Requiem by Dr. Douglas Bush, assistant professor of music history at BYU and renowned organist. 

21 April - UVCS hosts annual choir festival at the Provo Tabernacle with the inclusion of 300 voices from choral groups around Utah Valley

13 June - Patriotic music concert with guest soloist, Marvin Payne. Mr. Payne is well-known in LDS circles as the father in the musical, Saturday’s Warrior (original production). The main musical production is titled “Liberty”, by Phil and Lynne Brower, arranged by Don Wyrtzen.

1 September - Special stake fireside in American Fork

30 September - Baroque to Broadway honoring Dr. Ralph Woodward, director of the BYU A Cappella choir for over 20 years.

11 December - Annual Messiah Sing-In

12  December - Family Christmas concert

1988

9 March - Stake Choir Festival in Orem. Musical selections from Handel and Bach, as well as a song to a Frost poem, and a traditional Welsh piece.

14 April - UVCS puts on a concert including music from Bach and Handel. 

17 May - UVCS has a concert at the American Fork Tabernacle featuring the music of Robert Manookin.

29 October - Utah Valley Choral Society presents its 16th Anniversary Concert at the Provo Tabernacle. The concert will include music by Bach, Brahms, Mendelssohn, American folk and patriotic songs, and music from Broadway musicals. (4)

6 November - UVCS concert in Springville.  Classical pieces and Broadway musicals.

8 December - Messiah Sing-In

31 December - New Year’s Eve Gala with James Arrington performing music from Farley Family Reunion.

1988

March - Broadway Beckons with works from Lerner and Loewe

18 May  - Vivaldi’s Gloria and Mozart’s Requiem with the Valley Youth Symphony

13 August - concert in Park City

7 September - Season opening concert at the Provo Tabernacle

23 September - UVCS participated in the season opener of Opera West.

29 October - 16th Anniversary season opener:  Broadway musicals

10 December - Messiah Sing-In, with soloists JoAnn Ottley, Helen McCurdy Berrett, John Prather, and Clayne Robison.

13 December - Christmas concert - Christmas magic

1989

1 March - concert with Voices West choral group.

20 March - Rutter Requiem with the American Fork A Capella Choir and the Mountain View A Capella Choir. Each choir performed separately before joining together for Rutter’s Gloria.

21 April - Assembly Hall at Temple Square concert combined with Voices West

29 April - Music of Gilbert and Sullivan

17 Sept - UVCS presents Samplings, a look ahead to some of the music for the next season.

25 October - Anniversary season opener.

9 December - Annual Messiah Sing-In with soloists Lois Johnson, Mary Wescott, Robert Dunn, and Clayne Robison.

13 December - Christmas concert

1990

21 February - An Evening of Brahms

21 March - New Pieces by local composers

25 April - Hooray for Hollywood, featuring local artist, Kelli Frost

September - UVCS puts out a call for composition submissions with cash prizes for top submissions, and the promise that the top contenders will be performed at a concert in 1991.

21 October - Rutter Requiem performed at the Provo Tabernacle

8 December - Annual Messiah Sing-In with soloists Lois Johnson, Colleen Butler, Mark Pearce, and Clayne Robison.

12 December - Christmas concert, with compositions from two local composers.

1991

27 February - New Names, New Faces. Compositions by local composers, including: Clinton Bell, Orem; Carol Frogley Ellertson, SLC; Marden Pond, Provo; Hal Campbell, Cedar City; Joyce Stumphy, Orem; and Doc Taylor, Provo.

14 April - Provo paper has a call for a new Artistic Director for the UVCS.

1 May - Final concert of the season featuring modern Broadway musicals

11 September - Kerry Arbon, longtime organist for UVCS passes away in Orem. He was 40 years old.

23 October - New season for UVCS brings in a new director, Eric Jones. Mr. Jones was the conductor of the BYU University Chorale in 1989-1990 and was previously the graduate assistant of the BYU Men’s Chorus. 

7 December - Annual Messiah Sing-In, with soloists Marta Gutierrez, Colleen Butler, Jim Miller, and Clayne Robison.

18 December - Christmas concert

24 December - members of the UVCS assisted with Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve at the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church.

1992

26 September - UVCS participates in the Mozart in the Mountains festival in Midway, UT, performing the Mozart Requiem and Funeral.

29 October - UVCS performs Elijah at the Provo Tabernacle

30 October - UVCS performs at the Assembly Hall at Temple Square. They perform the Oratorio Elijah.

12 December - Christmas Concert, with Lois Johnson directing.

18 December - Messiah Sing-In

24 December - UVCS joins with the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church for Midnight Mass

1993

5 March - UVCS once again performs for the Welsh Festival in Provo

25 March - UVCS back under the direction of Lois Johnson, performs music by Mozart and Vivaldi

12 May - Season Finale

19 October - Concert featuring the music of Schubert: Mass in G Major

10 December - Annual Messiah Sing-In

16 December - A Rutter Christmas

1994

16 March - Judas Maccabaeus concert

12 May - Americana concert

25 May - Benefit concert for a kid injured in a car accident, Kyle Loveless.

20 October - Music of Rutter

2 December - Annual Messiah Sing-In

21 December - Bach’s Magnificat and Christmas Oratorio

1995

1 March - A Capella Choral concert

10 May - Haydn. The Creation

20 October - A Night at the Opera

1 December - Annual Messiah Sing-In with soloists Carolyn Talboys-Klassen, Colleen Butler,

Kenneth Shelley, and J. Arden Hopkin.

13 December - Festival of Carols with guest organist, Parley Belnap

1996

15 March - Rachmaninoff “Vespers”

23 March - UVCS participates in the Utah Baroque Festival

7 June - Performance at Provo Tabernacle featuring the compositions of Robert Millett

24 September - UVCS members gave a special concert to members of the UVCS Guild at an event at the Riverside Golf Club, showcasing some of the music coming up in the season.

18 October - Rutter’s Magnificat

6 & 7 December - Annual Messiah Sing-In with soloists Susan Deauvono, Rebecca Dimick, George Dyer, and Clayne Robison.

1997

28 March - An Evening of Brahms, featuring the Liebeslieder Waltzes.

16 May - American Kaleidoscope, featuring a few local composers

23 October - Music Fit for a Queen, featuring music by British Composers

13 December - Annual Messiah Sing-In with soloists George Dyer (Michael Ballam was slated to come but was unable to appear), Clayne Robison, Lois Johnson, and Colleen Butler.

1998

1 April - PDQ Bach

12 May - All Broadway

Possibly over the summer, Lois Johnson started having health problems and Robert Millett took over the responsibility of conductor for a season. The choir also lost the ability to hold rehearsals at the Provo Tabernacle, so they eventually got access to practice at some of the school music rooms.

23 October - A Night at the Opera, with soloist Robert Baker, Tenor. Conducted by Robert Millett.

12 December - Annual Messiah Sing-In with soloists Laurel James, Colleen Butler, George Dyer, and Clayne Robison

1999

19 March - Faure’s Requiem

14 May - Songs from the Heartland, Rob Millett as conductor and Mack Wilberg as a guest conductor.