Holiday Pops: The Many Moods of Christmas
December 18, 2010

Martha Bein, conductor, is a multi-faceted musician with extensive experience in conducting, vocal performance, musical theater, education, and church music. For over a decade she has directed the Mendelssohn Chorale and the Chorale has been featured as the symphony chorus for the Rockford Symphony since 1999.  As a choral conductor, Ms. Bein has prepared choruses for Chicago Opera Theater, Lyric Opera Cleveland, and the Bel Canto Foundation, and for eight years conducted the annual performances of Handel’s Messiah for the Rockford Lutheran Chorale Union. She has served as Music Director of the Shaker Symphony in Shaker Heights, Ohio, where she also taught music at the Laurel School.

 Besides her tenure at the Laurel School, Ms. Bein served on the faculties of Lake Forest Academy (IL) and Keith Country Day School. A commissioned Associate in Ministry for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Ms. Bein directs the Music and Worship program at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Rockford, where she has developed a high-quality music program that engages all ages in worship and outreach. Ms. Bein holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory and a Master of Music degree from Cleveland State University and has been a recipient of a Klingenstein Fellowship from Teachers College, Columbia University, New York City, and a fellowship from the Northwestern University School of Music.  In 2004, Ms. Bein received Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center’s “Starr of Excellence” award.

The Mendelssohn Chorale

Founded in 1975, The Mendelssohn Chorale, under the direction of Martha Bein, is composed of lovers of choral music from the greater Rockford area. The 110-voice choir has grown steadily over the years, performing major choral works. The Chorale participated in the Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center’s 125th Anniversary Holiday Gala in 2009. The Chorale has appeared in concert with the Rockford Lutheran Choral Union and the Diocesan Chorale among others, and has been part of the Rockford Symphony Orchestra's concert season since 1999.