Guide to the Anchorage Concert Chorus records
1947-1997
Collection number: HMC-0050.
Creator: Anchorage Concert Chorus.
Title: Anchorage Concert Chorus records.
Dates: 1947-1997.
Volume of collection: 11.0 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Collection materials are in English.
Collection summary: Records of a local nonprofit chorus in Anchorage.
Organizational history:
The Anchorage Concert Chorus was originally founded as “A United Choir of All Faiths” and had its first performance in March 1947. The chorus changed its name to “The Little Theatre Chorus” before its formal organization as a nonprofit under the name “Anchorage Community Chorus” in 1950. Among its many conductors were Lorene Harrison, Maurice Minard, Russell Mason, Roy Barker, Mary Hale, Maughan McMurdie, Royal Norquist, and Elvira Voth Douglas. The chorus played a significant part in the Alaska Festival of Music from its inception in 1955 when Robert Shaw and his chorale participated. Over the years, the chorus participated in, and presented, numerous different performances, including conerts during the spring and the Christmas seasons, many of which were recorded. The organization changed its name to Anchorage Concert Chorus in 1992.
Collection description:
The collection consists of the records of the Anchorage Concert Chorus, formerly the Anchorage Community Chorus. Included are administrative files, scrapbooks, recordings, music, and posters. The scrapbooks contain photographs, programs, newspaper clippings, posters, and a few letters which delineate the history of the organization. The recordings are both on disk and on magnetic tape; they include concerts and performances as well as lectures by Julius Hereford and a speech by Jacob Anshalomov
Arrangement: The collection is arranged into the following series:
Series 1: Administrative files; undated, 1947-1978
Series 2: Publications; undated, 1952-1997
Series 3: Visual materials; undated, 1947-1996
Series 4: Recordings; undated, 1953-1975
Digitized copies: This collection has not been digitized. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Rights note: The Archives does not hold copyright to the material in this collection.
Preferred citation: Anchorage Concert Chorus records, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Related materials: An additional sound recording of the Anchorage Community Chorus from 1956, as well as Anchorage Concert Chorus programs from 1993-2006, can be found in the Ephemera collections.
Acquisition note: The records were initially deposited in the Archives in 1981. Additions have been made since.
Processing information: This collection was described by Dennis Walle in 1983. The guide to the collection was converted to current standard by Gwen Sieja in 2015. A that time, duplicate materials were removed from the collection. Two vinyl records were added to the collection by Becky Butler Gallegos in 2024.
Container list:
Series 1: Administrative files; undated, 1947-1978. 1.1 cubic feet.
Included in this series are correspondence, bills and receipts, invoices, minutes of meetings, treasurers records, membership lists, and subject files. The folders are dated and are arranged in alphabetical order by document type or subject.
| Box/ Folder | Description | Dates |
| 1/1 | Accident claim | 1961, 1968 |
| 1/2 | Administrative procedures | undated |
| 1/3 | Alaska Festival of Music | 1966-1968 |
| 1/4 | Alaska State Council on Arts | 1967-1968 |
| 1/5 | Anchorage Community College | 1957-1966 |
| 1/6 | Anchorage Community Theatre | 1967 |
| 1/7 | Anchorage Concert Association | 1968 |
| 1/8 | Anchorage Symphony | 1965-1967 |
| 1/9 | Attendance records | 1967-1968 |
| 1/10 | Awards | 1965, 1968 |
| 1/11 | Bank records | 1954-1966 |
| 1/12 | Banner Instructions | 1967 |
| 1/13 | Biographical records of chorus members | undated |
| 1/14 | Board membership lists | 1955-1968 |
| 1/15 | Budgets | 1965-1968 |
| 1/16-17 | By-laws | 1955-1976 |
| 1/18 | By-laws acknowledgement by members | 1962-1967 |
| 1/19 | Children’s special – “Pirates of Penzance” | 1968 |
| 1/20 | Choral notes | 1957 |
| 1/21-22 | Chorus bulletins | 1966-1968 |
| 1/23-24 | Chorus membership lists | 1947-1968 |
| 1/25 | Correspondence-General | 1959-1970 |
| 1/26-28 | Correspondence-Chorus Board | 1973-1978 |
| 1/29 | Correspondence-Department of the Air Force | 1959, 1967 |
| 1/30 | Correspondence-Department of the Army | 1967-1968 |
| 1/31 | Correspondence-Chorus members | 1963-1968 |
| 1/32-36 | Corresponding Secretary | 1954-1968 |
| 1/37 | Costumes | 1965 |
| 1/38 | Costumes and Sets (Mikado) Tracy Music Company | 1965-1966 |
| 1/39 | Costumes and Sets (Pirates of Penzance) Tracy Music Company | 1967-1968 |
| 1/40 | Copyright certificate-“Alaska’s Flag” | 1958 |
| 1/41 | Friends of the Chorus | 1968 |
| 1/42 | Honorary memberships | 1966 |
| 1/43 | Insurance policies | 1966-1971 |
| 1/44 | “Messiah” | 1967 |
| 1/45 | “Mikado” | 1966 |
| 1/46-61 | Minutes | 1954-1973 |
| 1/62 | Music lists | 1967 |
| 1/63 | Parks & Recreation Department | 1966-1968 |
| 1/64 | “Pirates of Penzance” | 1968 March |
| 1/65 | Pronunciation aids | undated |
| 1/66 | Questionnaire and background information | undated |
| 1/67 | Recordings-Production | 1952-1962 |
| 1/68 | Chorus rosters | 1973-1975 |
| 1/69 | Risers | 1962 |
| 1/70 | “The Seasons” | undated |
| 1/71 | Social Chairman | 1968 |
| 1/72 | Solicitations | 1959-1967 |
| 1/73 | Songs of Alaska-music | undated |
| 1/74 | Stationery | undated |
| 1/75 | Tickets | 1955-1968 |
| 3/1 | Treasurer’s record book | 1950-1955 |
| 1/76 | Treasurer’s record book | 1955-1957 |
| 1/77 | Treasurer’s record book | 1961-1966 |
| 1/78 | Treasurer’s records-Receipt books | 1957-1967 |
| 1/79 | Treasurer’s records | 1962-1965 |
| 2/1 | Treasurer’s reports | 1952-1958 |
| 2/2 | “Trial by Jury” | 1967 |
| 2/3 | Vice-President | 1967-1968 |
| 2/4 | Vocal ensemble | 1967 |
| 2/5 | “War Requiem” | 1967 |
Series 2: Publications; undated, 1952-1997. 0.32 cubic feet.
This series includes programs for concerts put on by the chorus, as well as posters advertising performances and recordings by the chorus. The publications are arranged by type and chronologically.
| Box/ Item | Description | Dates |
| Oversize 1 | Posters | undated, 1968 |
| 2/6 | Programs | 1952-1997 |
Series 3: Visual materials; 1947-1996. 2.0 cubic feet.
This series contains photographs and scrapbooks. The scrapbooks are arranged essentially in chronological order. Volume 11 concerns only the performance of the “Mikado” in 1966. The scrapbooks contain correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, programs, playbills, and so forth.
| Box/ Item | Description | Dates |
| 2/10 | Photographs | circa 1947-1985 |
| 2/11 | Negatives | undated, 1947-1996 |
| 3/2 | Vol. 1 Scrapbook. 64 prints. | 1947-1954 |
| 3/3 | Vol. 2 Scrapbook. 25 prints. | 1954 Fall- 1957 July |
| 3/4 | Vol. 3 Scrapbook | 1957 August-1958 June |
| 3/5 | Vol. 4 Scrapbook. 33 prints. | 1958 June-1959 August |
| 4/1 | Vol. 5 Scrapbook. 41 prints. | 1960 July-1961 July |
| 4/2 | Vol. 6 Scrapbook. 2 prints. | 1961 August-1962 December |
| 4/3 | Vol. 7 Scrapbook. 1 print. | 1963 March-1965 June |
| 4/4 | Vol. 8 Scrapbook. 24 prints. | 1965 June- 1968 May |
| 4/5 | Vol. 9 Scrapbook. | 1968 June- 1969 June |
| 4/6 | Vol. 10 Scrapbook. 64 prints. | 1970 December-1972 June |
| 4/7 | Vol. 11 Scrapbook-“The Mikado”. 81 prints and 8 slides. | 1966 March-1966 April |
Series 4: Recordings; undated, 1953-1975. 7.6 cubic feet.
The recordings concern concerts, recitals, and other productions; they exist on both reel-to-reel audio tape and on vinyl discs. Also included are lectures by Julius Hereford and a speech by Jacob Anshalomov. They are arranged essentially in chronological order and occur in the period between 1955 and 1962.
| Box/ Item | Description | Dates |
| 5/1-2 | Bach B – Minor Mass; 4-track stereo; 2 reels 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape. | undated |
| 12/1 | Christmas Concert; 1 disc 12-inch 33-1/3 RPM | 1953 |
| 12/2 | Spring Concert; 1 disc 12-inch 33-1/3 RPM | 1954 |
| 12/3 | Christmas Concert; 1 disc 12-inch 33-1/3 RPM | 1954 |
| 12/4 | Dedication of Anchorage Municipal Auditorium; 1 disc 10-inch, 33-1/3 RPM. | 1955 |
| 12/5 | Spring Concert; 1 disc 12-inch 33-1/3 RPM | 1955 |
| 12/6-6b | Christmas Concert; 1 disc 12-inch, 33-1/3 RPM (2 copies) | 1955 December |
| 12/7-8 | Spring Concert master recording; 2 discs 12-inch 33-1/3 RPM | 1956 |
| 12/9-10 | Anchorage Festival of Music; 2 discs 12-inch 33-1/3 RPM | 1956 |
| 12/11-12 | Anchorage Festival of Music master recording; 2 discs 12-inch 33-1/3 RPM | 1956 |
| 5/3-13 | Julius Hereford Lecture; 11 reels 7-inch magnetic tape. | 1956 August 28 |
| 12/13-14 | Christmas Concert; 2 discs 12-inch, 33-1/3 RPM | 1956 December |
| 12/15-16 | Christmas Concert master recording; 2 discs 12-inch, 33-1/3 RPM | 1956 December |
| 13/15 | All American Award Ceremony, Anchorage High School Auditorium. Historical narrative of Anchorage with Anchorage Community Chorus, “Legend of Denali,” “Aleut Lullaby,” “Alaska’s Flag”; 1 disc 12-inch, 33-1/3 RPM. | 1957 January 27 |
| 5/14 | “Alaska’s Flag” for Ed Sullivan Show; 1 reel 5-inch magnetic tape. | 1957 |
| 13/1-2 | Spring Concert; 2 discs 12-inch, 33-1/3 RPM. | 1957 |
| 13/3-5 | Anchorage Festival of Music; 3 discs 12-inch, 33-1/3 RPM. | 1957 |
| 13/6-8 | Anchorage Festival of Music master recording; 3 discs 12-inch, 33-1/3 RPM. | 1957 |
| 5/15-22 | “King David”; 7 reels 7-inch magnetic tape, 1 reel 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape. | 1957 August |
| 6/1-8 | “St. John”; 6 reels 7-inch magnetic tape, 2 reels 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape. | 1958 March |
| 6/9-16 | Hereford TV Lecture; 8 reels 7-inch magnetic tape. | 1958 June |
| 6/17 | Spring Concert; 1 reel 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape. | 1958 June 6 |
| 13/9-11 | Anchorage Festival of Music; 3 discs 12-inch, 33-1/3 RPM. | 1958 |
| 6/18-21 | Festival; 4 reels 7-inch magnetic tape (reels 1-4). | 1958 June 7 |
| 7/1-4 | Festival; 4 reels 7-inch magnetic tape, 1 reel 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape (reels 5-8). | 1958 June 7 |
| 7/5-8 | Festival Recital; 4 reels 7-inch magnetic tape. | 1958 June 14 |
| 7/9-12 | Festival – Brahms Requiem; 3 reels 7-inch magnetic tape, 1 reel 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape. | 1958 June 18 |
| 7/13 | Jacob Anshalomov Speech; 1 reel 7-inch magnetic tape. | 1958 June 19 |
| 7/14-15 | Master “Alaska’s Flag,” Aleut Lullaby”; 1 reel 5-inch magnetic tape, 1 reel 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape. | 1959 March 9 |
| 7/16-18 | Christmas Concert; 3 reels 7-inch magnetic tape. | 1959 December |
| 7/19 | Spring Concert; 1 reel 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape. | 1960 March 31 |
| 7/20-21 | Festival; 2 reels 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape (reels 1-2) | 1960 June |
| 8/1-9 | Festival; 9 reels 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape (reels 3-11). | 1960 June |
| 8/10-11 | Chorus Concert; 2 reels 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape. | 1960 December |
| 9/1-3 | Festival Concert – Missa Solemnis; 3 reels 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape. | 1961 June |
| 9/4 | Festival Orchestra Concert; 1 reel 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape. | 1961 June 22 |
| 9/5 | Westwood Wind Quintet; 1 reel 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape. | 1961 June 24 |
| 9/6 | Master Vocal Recital; 1 reel 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape. | 1961 June 24 |
| 9/7 | Student Concert – Festival Orchestra; 1 reel 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape. | 1961 June 24 |
| 9/8 | Spring Concert;1 reel 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape. | 1961 |
| 13/12-13 | Spring Concert; 2 discs 12-inch 33-1/3 RPM | 1961 |
| 13/14 | Christmas Concert; 1 disc 12-inch 33-1/3 RPM | 1961 December |
| 9/9-11 | Christmas Concert; 3 reels 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape. | 1961 |
| 9/12 | “Alaska’s Flag”; 1 reel 7-inch magnetic tape. | 1961 |
| 10/1-2 | Festival; 12 reels 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape. | 1962 June |
| 11/1 | Festival Student Concert; 1 reel 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape. | 1962 June |
| 11/2 | Christmas Concert; 1 reel 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape | 1962 December |
| 11/3 | Robert Shaw: Choir of the North; 1 reel 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape. | 1963 May |
| 11/4 | Festival Orchestra Concert; 1 reel 10-1/2-inch magnetic tape. | 1963 June |
| 11/5-7 | “Elijah”; 3 reels 7-inch magnetic tape. | 1964 December 8 |
| 11/8 | “Alaska’s Flag,” “Te Deum,” “Symphony #9 in D Minor,”; 1 reel 7-inch magnetic tape. | 1971 December 5 |
| 11/9 | Great Opera Choruses; 1 reel 7-inch magnetic tape. | 1972 March 18 |
| 11/10 | Alaska Festival of Music; 1 reel 7-inch magnetic tape. | 1972 June 22 – 29 |
| 11/11 | Christmas Concert; 1 reel 7-inch magnetic tape. | 1972 December 16 |
| 11/12 | “Puccini-Tosca, Act II,” “Rachmaninoff – The Bells,” Russian Liturgical Songs; 1 reel 7-inch magnetic tape. | 1973 February 25 |
| 11/13 | Gilbert & Sullivan – The Gondoliers; 1 reel 7-inch magnetic tape. | 1973 April 29 |
| 11/14 | Alaska Festival of Music; 1 reel 7-inch magnetic tape. | 1973 June 28 |
| 11/15 | Christmas Concert; 1 reel 7-inch magnetic tape. | 1973 December 9 |
| 11/16 | Spring Concert; 1 reel 7-inch magnetic tape. | 1974 March 31 |
| 11/17 | Alaska Festival of Music; 1 reel 7-inch magnetic tape. | 1974 June 13 |
| 11/18 | Spring Concert; 1 reel 7-inch magnetic tape. | 1975 March 23 |
| 13/14 | Third Annual Anchorage Festival of Music: 2 discs 12-inch, 33-1/3 RPM. | circa 1975 |