Rachel Moore

In 2007, The Choral Project sought to inspire the creation of original choral works and to spark new collaborations between performers and student composers. That is how our annual choral composition competition for high school and college students was born!

Ten years later, Marie Moore, a devoted supporter of the chorus and the contest, chose to fund the contest, which was then renamed in honor of her mother, Rachel Moore.

Rachel was one of 11 children. The family was quite poor and could only afford to give piano lessons to one child, but Rachel was not selected. Thankfully, she had the gift of playing by ear. She loved the piano and would sit down after hearing a piece of music, determined to figure it out on her own. She loved The Choral Project’s contest because she felt it gave young people an opportunity she never had.

A self-taught musician from an early age, Rachel became a beloved audience member at The Choral Project’s concerts. Though she was later diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, her love of music was one of the last things to fade. That love continues through The Choral Project’s annual Rachel Moore Choral Composition Contest.

Marie puts it best when she says, “In honor of my mother, I feel it’s important to support up-and-coming artists. My mother’s life circumstances never provided her with an opportunity like this, so I am forever grateful to have her love of music live on through this competition.”