Ensembles

The Mansfield University Concert Choir

The Mansfield University Concert Choir of Mansfield, Pennsylvania, is the premier touring ensemble of the university presenting some of the finest talent from the American Northeast. While the majority of the singers are undergraduate music majors, membership is open to all students at the university through an audition process. Under the direction of Peggy Dettwiler, the group has achieved an impressive reputation of excellence, having been chosen for more than twenty years to perform at conventions or festivals around the world including numerous conventions of the American Choral Directors Association, the National Collegiate Choral Organization, and the National Association for Music Educators.

In 2012, the women of the Concert Choir provided the nuns’ choruses for the “Sound of Music” Gala Concert in Carnegie Hall. On the international stage, the choir has won top prizes in international competitions including nine gold medals and four gold certificates. In 2014, they gave their debut performance in Carnegie Hall as a part of the Performing Arts Educators 8th-Annual Invitational and returned to this renowned stage in 2017 & 2019 for PAE performances. In April of 2018, the choir performed the choruses in Carnegie Hall’s Gala Concert of Bernstein’s Candide garnering a “superb” review in the New York Times. The Concert Choir has performed in eighteen countries during their eight European Tours, and the group has produced twenty-one CD recordings on the Mark Custom Recording Label. The singers are frequently praised for the emotional spectrum in their performances, their diverse vocal color, and their varied repertoire.

The Concert Choir Awards include:

The 2021 American Prize in Choral Performance for the College/University Division (small program).

Four prizes at the 2017 Harmonie Festival in Limburg-Lindenholzhausen, Germany

  • First Prize and a Gold Certificate in the Women’s Choir Category
  • Second Prize and a Gold Certificate in the Men’s Choir Category
  • Second Prize and a Gold Certificate in the Mixed Choir Category
  • Third Prize and a Gold Certificate in the Sacred Music Category

Finalist for the 2016 and 2015 American Prize in Choral Performance for the College/University Division

Three prizes at the 2014 World Choir Games in Riga, Latvia

  • Gold Medal and Second Place in the Spiritual Category
  • Gold Medal and Third Place in the Mixed Youth Choir Category
  • Gold Medal and Fifteenth Place in the Musica Sacra with Accompaniment Category

Finalist for the 2013 American Prize in Choral Performance for the College/University Division

Three prizes at the 2012 World Choir Games in Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Gold Medal and Second Place in Mixed Youth Choir
  • Gold Medal and Fourth Place in Folklore
  • Gold Medal and Twelfth Place in Musica Sacra

The 2011 American Prize in Choral Performance for the College/University Division

Three prizes at the 2011 International Musical Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales

  • First Place in the Women’s Choir Competition; Finalist for the Choir of the World Prize
  • Second Place in the Youth Choir Category
  • Second Place the Mixed Choir Category

Three prizes at the 2008 World Choir Games in Graz, Austria

  • Gold Medal and the Championship in the Gospel & Spiritual Category
  • Gold Medal and Second Place in the Mixed Choir Category
  • The Mansfieldians won a Gold Medal and the Championship in the Vocal Jazz Category

The Mansfield University Festival Chorus








The Festival Chorus is a mixed chorus of about 75 voices, which is open to all university students as well as community singers. The group rehearses three hours a week and performs a wide variety of choral styles in the fall semester and major choral works during the spring semester. Large scale performances with orchestra and professional soloists include Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Orff ‘s Carmina Burana, Haydn’s Creation and Mass in Time of War, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Vaughan Williams’ Dona nobis pacem, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, Bach’s Mass in B Minor, Honegger’s King David, Jenkins’ The Armed Man: A Mass of Peace, and the Requiems by Brahms, Fauré, Mozart, Rutter, and Verdi. The chorus has also presented Dan Forrest’s Requiem for the Living, the High Lonesome Bluegrass Mass by Sharp and Ramsey, and Annelies by James Whitbourn. Members of the group also join with the Concert Choir to form separate women’s and men’s choruses in the fall semester. The Festival Chorus has produced numerous CDs and cassette recordings. Students must vocalize for placement into the soprano, alto, tenor, or bass sections.

The Mansfield University Chamber Singers

A highly select vocal ensemble of 12-20 voices established for the study and performance of repertoire from the vocal chamber idiom. Literature includes madrigals & motets from the 16th and 17th centuries, Bach cantatas, part-songs of the 18th and 19th centuries, and contemporary selections. The ensemble performs both on and off campus. An audition is required for membership.