History

Mount Hope World Singers (MHWS), of Rochester, New York, is a community chorus rooted in the harmony singing of world song traditions. The chorus was the idea of Mary Lee Miller and was formed in 2013 through an initiative and with the support of South Presbyterian Church to celebrate the rich diversity of world cultures and to foster community in the midst of that diversity. 

Our rehearsals and performances were led for three years by Dr. Allison Thorp, a graduate of the Eastman School of Music. With warmth, enthusiasm, and musical talent, she encouraged and inspired us as we learned songs in a variety of languages and rhythms. Allison moved on and is currently Director of Choral Activities and Associate Professor of Music at Western Carolina University. 

Hana Cai was our second director and combined her considerable choral directing skill with great good humor to lead us for one year before moving to Indiana to pursue her doctoral studies.

Currently, the chorus is led by Annika Bentley as artistic director, with Brian White serving as conductor. Annika has been a professional musician for over 25 years. She is a singer-songwriter, composer, and artist with an integrated degree in photography and music. Brian, a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, has been with us as a singer almost from our beginning and inspires with his musical expertise, enthusiasm, and humor.

Although we began as a secular initiative of South Presbyterian Church, in early 2020, MHWS outgrew South's ability to provide support. We are now a member organization of SEAC, the South East Area Coalition, a 501(c)3 organization.

In spring 2020, MHWS began rehearsing online due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. After several performances were cancelled, the group shifted focus to producing virtually recorded choral performances. Seeking to add an original composition to our repertoire, we held a choral composition contest, the winner of which was Hanna PK for her composition, "Soyo Arirang." Following a year of virtual rehearsals, the piece was performed by digitally combining 22 solo recordings from singers in Rochester, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, and Nairobi.