About the Choir

The name Meritáge is our play on the  vintner’s term Meritage which refers to the blending of fine wines -hence, in musical terms, the “blending of fine voices” with a diverse mixture of repertoire and styles.

Meritáge, a vocal chamber ensemble of approximately 40 singers, is the central core of the Southern California Master Chorale.  This larger “symphonic” chorus performs regularly with the Long Beach Symphony, Golden State Pops Orchestra and the Marina del Rey Summer Symphony.  In addition to their Southern California Master Chorale responsibilities, the Meritáge musicians also present independent performances more appropriate to the dimensions of a chamber ensemble.  Members of Meritáge are highly skilled, experienced choral musicians capable of performing a diverse body of repertoire ranging from polyphonic European concert music to the contemporary textures of American Jazz.

Meritáge, evolved out of the Cypress Camerata, a chamber choir founded by Dr. Ball in 1984.  In the broader spectrum of this 25 year evolution this ensemble has performed at innumerable Southern California venues, has been featured at several state and regional conventions of the Choral Conductors Guild, and performed for a variety of music organizations including the American Choral Directors Association, The Symphonians of the Music Center and the Los Angeles Da Camera Society.  Reconstituted as a professional ensemble in 2007, Meritáge continues to present local concerts, participates in regional music festivals and serves as the firm foundation for the Southern California Master Chorale’s large choral-orchestral performances.