Jackson Choral Society

The Jackson Choral Society was founded on June 27, 1961 by longtime friends and former Milsaps Singers Leonard Metts, Dr. Cecil and Patsy Jenkins, Jane Ellen and Richard Naef. The group later met Miriam and Lowell Bylar at St. Luke’s Methodist Church, where Miriam herself was the staff accompanist, and Lowell, the choir director.

The first official Jackson Choral Society concert was held on November 26, 1961 in the War Memorial Building in Jackson, MS. The well attended concert featured Mendelssohn’s Hymn of Praise. Today, the Jackson Choral Society is a non-profit, non-auditioned organization of volunteer professional musicians, music lovers, and anyone else who enjoys singing.

The Jackson Choral Society has served the metropolitan Jackson area for the last sixty years with over 106 concerts, providing imaginative programs of quality musical literature. The Jackson Choral Society has collaborated with several music groups in Jackson, including the Mississippi Chorus, Mississippi Opera and the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. The Jackson Choral Society has also toured Europe on three occasions.