10-Year Chorus Member: Keith Dale

Congratulations to Keith Dale on a fantastic run of 10 years of singing with the May Festival Chorus! Unfortunately, this past year was Keith’s last with Cincinnati’s Chorus, but we are so pleased to have had him with us for the past decade.

Keith grew up in Central Kentucky and was eventually graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. Before long, he had landed a position with Duke Energy and set up his home in North Carolina with his wife Penni and began his successful career in engineering. The couple welcomed daughters Kelli and Kati to the family and enjoyed taking their little girls to visit the ocean in South Carolina whenever they could.

It was around this time that Keith joined the Carolina Concert Choir in Hendersonville, North Carolina, under the direction of Bradford Gee. When Duke Energy let Keith know of an opportunity for him in Cincinnati – a little closer to his family and hometown – he let the Carolina Concert Choir know that he would be moving north. Bradford, who had been a student of the May Festival’s Bob Porco when he was studying at Indiana University, was sad to see Keith go but encouraged him to check out the May Festival Chorus. We are so glad he did!

Among Keith’s favorite memories during his time with the May Festival is their performance at Carnegie Hall in 2014 of Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses. However, the most meaningful experience for him was singing in Erich Kunzel’s last concert on August 1, 2009, at Riverbend. Kunzel, the founding director of the Cincinnati Pops, had been undergoing treatment for cancer, and this concert included everything from “Sesame Street” to classical music. It would be just one month later that Kunzel would pass away from the disease at his home in Maine.

Over his years in Cincinnati, Keith has committed much time, talent, and energy to the May Festival. Not only do we count him as former singer, but he also served on the Board of Directors and as a member of the Chorus Committee. We are so grateful to Keith for his leadership on both sides of the footlights and look forward to seeing him again at Music Hall – this time in audience.

Get to know Keith a little better by listening to his favorite tunes on Spotify. Learn about our online concerts, featuring several of Keith’s fellow Chorus Members, on our website!