Today, November 22, 2025, marks the fiftieth anniversary since the first performance of the Rockbridge Chorus.

The concert, as with all performances in the early years, was a joint venture between the Chorus and the Rockbridge Orchestra, which were founded as a single organization as an outgrowth of the Rockbridge Fine Arts Workshop. Gordon Spice was the conductor for the Chorus, and Robert Stewart led the Orchestra.

The major theme of this inaugural concert was the joys and love of music, with songs including “An Ode for Music” by Zoltan Kodaly, “Serenade to Music” by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and the very first piece, “Fanfare for a Festival” by Ron Nelson, which includes the lyrics “all praise to music”. Fittingly, the production took place on the feast of St. Cecilia, who is venerated in several Christian traditions as the patroness of musicians.

The program for this concert, along with those for numerous other performances in the past 50 years, is housed at Washington & Lee University’s Special Collections and Archives.