Messiah Chorus of Lake County
With its roots in the county seat, Painesville, the Messiah Chorus of Lake County began as a humble musical group dedicated to presenting Handel's epic masterpiece. For 21 years, the Chorus called Painesville United Methodist Church in downtown Painesville's historic square home.
Historical Timeline
1948 First presentation hosted at Painesville United Methodist Church (PUMC) and organized by church music directors Hilbert Collins and his wife, Willa.
1969 First presentation under director Cyril Chinn in a new location-Lake Erie Collegeís Morley Music Hall, the Chorus' home until 2010. Renovations over two years in the late 1960s to the sanctuary of Painesville United Methodist Church necessitated the move.
1971-1991 Taking over for Chinn as director was Leonard P. Walters, who served in 1971 and 1972, followed by organist James Savage, who with his wife, Louise, founded the Fine Arts Association in Willoughby.
1991- Kenneth Nash, a concert pianist, church choir director, and founder of the Euclid Chorus, steps in as Chorus director, a role he held for 19 years.
2010 Nash directs the Chorus for a final time in a new location with more parking and ample space for musicians, singers, and the community, the 1,100-seat St. Gabriel Catholic Church, Concord Township.
2011-2024 Kevin Donahue, a fulltime crisis communications professional and music ministry coordinator at St. Gabriel, takes over as director in 2011, a role he currently retains. Apart from two years, 2020 and 2021, during the COVID 19 pandemic, the Chorus has not missed a single annual presentation. For the past 13 years, the Chorus has been welcomed to share its incredible musical gift with Northeast Ohio at St. Gabriel or at St. John Vianney Church.
2025 75th Anniversary Presentation on Sunday, December 7, 2025, 4 p.m., at St. Gabriel Catholic Church, 9925 Johnnycake Ridge Road, Concord Twp., OH 44077.
Notes:
--Thank you to Jan Swetel, 41-year Chorus member, and Treasurer, Steering Committee, for providing the names of the past directors of the Messiah Chorus of Lake County; to Rev. Gerald Kalb, retired pastor, Painesville United Methodist Church, for details on the contributions made by founder Hilbert Collins.
Read about Hilbert Collins Hilbert Collins served in WWII and told retired PUMC pastor Rev. Gerald Kalb that while he was in a foxhole during battle, Collins said he prayed, promising if he returned home from the war he would "do something for God". That something, according to Kalb, was the Messiah Chorus of Lake County. Kalb said Hilbert and Willa were very musical and Willa started a girls choir and later a boys bell choir. The first bells were purchased in memory of the Collins' daughter Deborah Ann, who died of cancer at age 14. Kalb recalled that Hilbert directed the Messiah Chorus once more, perhaps in 1988, for its 40th Anniversary.
Willa died in June, 1987. She was 71. Kalb said Hilbert was a member of the church's adult bell choir and he died in 1995 at age 83 of a heart attack doing what he loved while performing in a Christmas concert with the bell choir in Mentor.
Present Conductor, Kevin Donahue
