OUR HISTORY
A number of singers visited Haciendas at Grace Village in December. They sang two selections from their recent concert and then invited the residents to join in a holiday singalong.
In 2024, we were granted non-profit status as a 501(c)3 organization.
Mesilla Valley Chorale celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022 with a concert in May at the Rio Grande Theatre. The program consisted of songs from past performances chosen by the members, with one member who was part of the founders and another a charter member. The Chorale was recognized by the mayor and city council of Las Cruces for 50 years of contributing to the arts in the city.
The Savigne-l'Eveque chorale visited Las Cruces in 2011
MVC has performed in Savigne-l’Eveque and Le Mans, France, brought the Savigne-l’Eveque chorale to Las Cruces in 2011, and in 2012 organized a New Mexico Centennial Choral Celebration as a benefit concert for the Rio Grande Theatre. The concert, comprised of music by New Mexico composers, was sung by groups from both Albuquerque and Las Cruces.
MVC in France in 2009
In 2007, the Mesilla Valley Chorale (MVC) members took a big step and rented the newly refurbished Rio Grande Theatre for their 35th-anniversary concert. They felt it was a perfect fit: a historic venue for a historic community choir with just the right ambiance. For the past 14 years, the RGT has been their only performing home. This venue brought the MVC greater visibility, which brought new singers and new opportunities.
MVC in the early days
MVC began with a group of friends from the St. Paul’s United Methodist Church choir getting together in Phil and Val Hosford’s living room to sing just for fun. Soon they had a director, Dr. Jack Chambliss; an accompanist, Dulcie Boykin; and a name: The Mesilla Valley Chorale. By May 1972, they presented their first concert and, from then on, they continued to grow and perform twice a year in May and December.
Effective March 29, 2024, the Mesilla Valley Chorale was granted 501(c)(3) status as a non-profit public charity by the Internal Revenue Service. The Chorale has also incorporated with the State of New Mexico as a non-profit corporation. Therefore, all sponsor donations, member dues, and Music Lovers donations are tax-deductible.
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As part of these determinations, the Chorale must make available to the public annual reports to the IRS and to state agencies; these documents can be requested by contacting the Chorale using the CONTACT US form on the home page of this website and specifying the date and name of the report requested (there is a small fee for making copies of these forms). The Chorale has also established by-laws which can be viewed by clicking here.