These concerts are the North Carolina Symphony debut for the North Carolina Master Chorale Youth Choir, which was established in 2021 by the North Carolina Master Chorale.

The North Carolina Master Chorale Youth Choir is a professionally directed choir for high school musicians to study, prepare, and perform choral music. Directed by Dr. Daniel Monek and accompanied by Tom Koch, they serve the Triangle community by providing high quality performances, complementing school music programs, and encouraging and advocating the arts, music, and music education. Singers are selected through auditions.

The Master Chorale Youth Choir’s parent organization, the North Carolina Master Chorale, was originally founded in 1942 as the Raleigh Oratorio Society. Now an umbrella choral organization, it includes a 175-voice Symphonic Choir and a 16-60 voice professional Chamber Choir, both led by Music Director Dr. Alfred Sturgis, in addition to the Youth Choir. In addition to their own performances, the Youth Choir choir performs on several concerts each year with the North Carolina Master Chorale Symphonic Choir. The Youth Choir has also hosted clinics, collaborated on concerts with other arts organizations, and performed at the conference of the NC chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.

In addition to directing the Youth Choir, Dr. Daniel Monek has been a Professor of Music at North Carolina State University in Raleigh since 2016, having served as the Head of the Department of Performing Arts & Technology (formerly Music) until 2023. He also serves every summer as a choral instructor for the Governor’s School of North Carolina and is active as a clinician and guest conductor. Youth Choir Accompanist Tom Koch is also Associate Teaching Professor of Music at North Carolina State University, where he directs the music theory program.