The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh

Name

The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh

Legal name

The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh

Website

https://themendelssohn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1908

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsburgh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from concert tickets sold for performances at Heinz Hall and other venues
2. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible gifts from patrons and donors supporting the nonprofit arts organization
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Support from businesses and organizations including Heinz Endowments, PA Council on the Arts, RBC Wealth Management, and others
4. Planned Giving: Bequests, charitable gift annuities, charitable trusts, and gifts of life insurance
5. Recording Sales: Sales of recorded performances including Grammy-nominated Beethoven's Symphony No. 9

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh (MCP) is a nonprofit choral arts organization that performs professional-caliber choral concerts as the official chorus of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and through independent productions. It operates two ensembles — the adult MCP choir and the Junior Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh (JMCP) for grades 9–12 — and delivers community programming through the CrosSING Bridges singing workshop series exploring diverse musical traditions.

Product overview

The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh operates as a unified choral arts organization comprising two main ensembles: the adult Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh (MCP), which serves as the official chorus of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and is now in its 118th season, and the Junior Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh (JMCP), a youth training program for grades 9-12 founded in 1986. The organization also offers community programming through the CrosSING Bridges initiative, which provides participatory singing workshops that bring together diverse musical traditions. Together, these programs fulfill MCP's mission of performing at the highest artistic level while fostering appreciation, participation, and creation of choral music across generations and communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Junior Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh (JMCP): A high-quality youth vocal training program for talented singers in grades 9-12, providing rigorous musical environment to develop vocal and ensemble singing skills.

Products and services

• Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh (MCP) Adult Ensemble Performances Subscription and special concert performances by the adult MCP ensemble, including works performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at Heinz Hall and independent productions such as 'In Time of War' and Beethoven's Mass. Targeted at general public and classical music audiences in the Pittsburgh region.
• Junior Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh (JMCP) Pre-professional youth vocal training program and performance ensemble for high school students in grades 9-12, providing rigorous musical instruction and ensemble singing experience. Scholarships are available so finances never present a barrier to membership.
• CrosSING Bridges Community Singing Workshop Participatory community singing workshop series bringing together MCP with the Heritage Gospel Chorale of Pittsburgh and Coro Latinoamericano Pittsburgh, exploring diverse musical traditions. Open to all with no prior experience required.
• Recorded Performance Albums Studio-recorded choral performances distributed globally through the Reference Recordings label and major retailers. The Grammy-nominated Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 recording is a flagship release.

Quantifiable outcome

• Grammy-nominated Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 recording with PSO
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pittsburgh Symphony OrchestracoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1913As the choral partner of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for nearly 100 years, MCP provides singers with extraordinary opportunities to perform at the highest artistic level with world-renowned conductors. MCP serves as the chorus of choice for PSO performances including Beethoven's Mass, Carmina Burana, and Holiday Pops at Heinz Hall.
• The Heritage Gospel Chorale of PittsburghcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrosSING Bridges initiative partner led by Dr. Herbert V.R.P. Jones. Collaborative community singing workshop exploring roots and stories of Gospel Music, with all three choruses performing together and audience participation.
• Coro Latinoamericano PittsburghcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrosSING Bridges initiative partner bringing Latin American choral traditions. Three choruses collaborate on performances celebrating Pittsburgh's multicultural musical heritage.
• Carnegie Museum of ArtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMCP performed at the Inside Out Festival Sculpture Garden in 2024, returning for second annual appearance. First performance there since 1987.
• Violins of Hope Greater PittsburghminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Violins of Hope for JMCP concert 'Journeys of the Heart' featuring instruments played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust.
• Pittsburgh Youth Symphony OrchestraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative performance with Violins of Hope partnership, featuring orchestral musicians alongside JMCP singers.
• The Cleveland OrchestraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusic Director Daniel Singer serves as Assistant Director of Choruses and Director of the Youth Chorus for The Cleveland Orchestra, creating a connection between MCP and the Cleveland ensemble.
• Pittsburgh Pride ChoirminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNew collaborators for Inside Out Festival sing-along event celebrating expressions of freedom in the Great American Songbook.
• WQED FM (Classical)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal classical radio station partnership for voice of the arts segments and Mendelssohn Fan Faves contest.
• Third Presbyterian ChurchcoreOthersProvides practice space and storage for MCP's extensive music library, including pieces over 100 years old. Hosts JMCP concerts.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cincinnati May Festival: One of the oldest choral festivals in the Western Hemisphere (founded 1873), the May Festival is a professional choral organization that partners with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in a structurally similar choral-symphony partnership model, making it a close parallel to MCP's PSO arrangement.
• Cleveland Orchestra Chorus: The choral partner of The Cleveland Orchestra where MCP Music Director Daniel Singer serves as Assistant Director of Choruses; it operates the same choral-symphony partnership model with comparable repertoire and amateur-professional mixed membership.
• Chicago Symphony Chorus: Official chorus of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, providing the same choral-symphony partnership structure, audition-based amateur-professional singer roster, and performance at a major symphony hall that defines MCP's operating model.
• Handel and Haydn Society: Founded in 1815 and based in Boston, Handel and Haydn is a professionally led choral and period-instrument ensemble with comparable historical longevity, Grammy-recognized recordings, and nonprofit status analogous to MCP.
• Los Angeles Master Chorale: A Grammy-winning professional chorus resident with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, comparable in mission, audition-based roster, and recording/distribution profile to MCP's Reference Recordings releases.
• Master Chorale of Washington: Regionally rooted professional choral organization with a comparable mix of symphonic collaboration, education programs, and community engagement; operates as a similar 501(c)(3) choir in a mid-sized U.S. metropolitan ecosystem.
• Conspirare: Austin, Texas-based professional choir and choral arts nonprofit led by founder Craig Hella Johnson with a comparable Grammy-recognized profile, community engagement programming, and nonprofit structure; previous employer of MCP's new Executive Director Cameron Gunsbury-Massey.
• The Philadelphia Singers: Mid-Atlantic professional choral ensemble comparable in size and mission to MCP, with a similar audition-based singer roster and focus on symphonic collaboration, including appearances with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
• San Francisco Symphony Chorus: Official chorus of the San Francisco Symphony; structurally analogous to MCP as the choral partner of a major U.S. orchestra, sharing the same symphonic-choral performance model and repertoire focus.

Broad incumbents

• Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra: Anchor institutional partner of MCP and a much larger performing-arts organization with broader programming scope; not a direct choral competitor but the most economically significant relationship shaping MCP's programming and audience reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/themendelssohnchoir
• Instagraminstagram.com/mendelssohnpgh
• Xx.com/mendelssohnpgh
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mendelssohn-choir-of-pittsburgh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh