Big score; Notes along the way compose path of new director to Worcester Chorus.

Byline: Richard Duckett

Chris Shepard's research for his doctoral thesis has found him dipping into the history of the Worcester Chorus and Worcester Music Festival on several occasions.

"It's the oddest thing. I happen to have read a lot of the Worcester Chorus history," said Shepard, whose dissertation will be on American performances of Bach's Mass in B minor.

"It's a long history," he said of the chorus and festival, which are celebrating their 150th anniversaries this season.

But that's not what Shepard was referring to as being unusual. Rather, he was alluding to the interesting coincidence that he is now part of the chorus' distinguished history.

Shepard is its new artistic director and conductor, succeeding Andrew Clark, who left after three years, citing family reasons and time constraints.

On Dec. 5 at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Shepard will lead the chorus in one of America's longest music traditions - its 110th consecutive performance of Handel's "Messiah." Actually, the piece has been part of the chorus' repertoire from its first concert 150 years ago.

"It's sort of very strange," Shepard said about the process that has brought him here. For one thing, a year ago, he was far away in Sydney, Australia. He lived there for 12 years and was director of music at the prestigious Sydney Grammar School, and founder and conductor of Sydneian Bach Choir and Orchestra. However, a closer look at Shepard's history might suggest his arrival on the Worcester musical scene is not as odd as one might think.

First, "it was `Messiah' that made me fall in love with choral music while in high school," said Shepard, who is originally from Montpelier, Vt., and now lives in Watertown, Conn.

Then, "when I was a very callow 19-year-old," he sang at Mechanics Hall - with the Worcester Chorus. Shepard was a member of the Hartt Chamber Singers of The Hartt School in Hartford, which in 1985 joined the Worcester Chorus and the Prague Symphony Orchestra for performances at Mechanics Hall and Carnegie Hall in New York.

The mastermind of those concerts was Gerald Mack, one of Shepard's teachers. Mack was also director and conductor of the Worcester Chorus from 1977 to 2005.

It also helped that Worcester Chorus members obviously liked Shepard when he auditioned for them in the spring.

Shepard is pursuing his doctorate under the auspices of the University of Sydney, but said his move back to New England earlier this year is permanent. The call of returning home was too strong to ignore, he said.

In March, he attended Worcester Chorus' performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion. He heard "through the grapevine" that Clark was leaving.

The Worcester Chorus is under the wing of Music Worcester Inc. Stasia B. Hovenesian, Music Worcester executive director, said it lets chorus members choose their own director.

Chorus member Virginia Mason Vaughan was president of the Worcester Chorus and chairwoman of its search committee as it sought a successor for Clark.

"After phone interviews with 16 semifinalists, we asked each of our six finalists to conduct the chorus for 30 minutes, with the time divided between something of their own choosing and - what else? - Handel's `Messiah,'" Vaughan recalled.

"Chris was the first to audition and it was clear from the beginning that he was a high-energy person. He vigorously warmed us up and then ran us through our paces, never wasting a moment. He had just the right qualities for an outstanding conductor - mastery over the music, demanding expectations, clear explanations of what he wanted, and a good sense of humor."

The selection committee was unanimous in its choice.

Shepard acknowledged that his audition went well. "They worked with me," he said.

Vaughan said rehearsals have only underscored that the chorus made the right choice. The first public performance with Shepard at the helm was a concert titled "Best of the Best" featuring classical favorites from the chorus' early years, at Mechanics Hall.

"I'm absolutely loving it," Shepard said of his tenure so far. "Everyone has great commitment ... I believe a rehearsal should be a musical experience in and of itself. You make music in rehearsal. Singers are there to sing." Those tenets, he said, he learned from Mack.

Handel's `Messiah'

by the Worcester Chorus

When: 8 p.m. Dec. 5

Where: Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester

How much: $37 and $34; Call [phone]

ART: PHOTOS

PHOTOG: PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOM RETTIG

CUTLINE: (1) Chris Shepard is the new artistic director and conductor of the Worcester Chorus. (2) Chris Shepard leads the Worcester Chorus through practice at the First Unitarian Church in Worcester.