Our History

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The Mid-Columbia Mastersingers was founded as "Consort Columbia" in 1986 by Estyn Goss, as an elite choir of auditioned singers. Since its beginning, the group has been a versatile one, having embodied at times a musical theatre group, symphonic chorus, operatic chorus and also serving as the umbrella organization for a children's choir. Mr. Goss led the group for 10 years, and following artistic directors included Reginald Unterseher (1996-2004) and Robert Bode (2005-2008), with Justin Raffa taking the position in 2008. Since his arrival, the choir has continued to grow in musical excellence, has become more widely-known throughout the community, and has dramatically increased its budget. Organizational focus has included musical excellence and diversity, outreach to underserved populations, and collaboration with other arts organizations.

The Mid-Columbia Mastersingers organization currently comprises a chamber choir, symphonic choir, adult treble choir, a youth choir program, and very soon will join organizational forces with long-time Tri-Cities choral mainstay, the Columbia Chorale.