Mary Moore
1928 - 2024
GREAT FALLS SYMPHONIC CHOIR FOUNDING DIRECTOR
Mary E. Moore was born in 1928 in Duluth, Minnesota, and moved to Great Falls with her family when she was twelve. She graduated from Great Falls High School in 1945 and went on to attend Northwestern University near Chicago, where she earned both graduate and master’s degrees in music.
Mary played the ukulele, violin, and piano, but her most powerful instrument was her voice. She performed in operas throughout Chicago into her early thirties before returning home to Great Falls, the community that would benefit from her lifelong dedication to music.
After returning home, Mary dedicated her life to teaching and conducting, devoting more than 64 years to the Great Falls Symphony. In 1960, she became the founding director of the Symphonic Choir, inspiring generations of singers.
Mary’s passion, high standards, and encouragement left a profound mark on every student and musician she mentored. She sang with the choir into her nineties, continuing to lead by example with grace and joy. Mary’s legacy will live on in the voices she nurtured and the music she inspired. She will be deeply missed.
Maestro Emeritus, Gordon Johnson, remembered Mary to us.
Mary Moore was a visionary in our community. Shortly after the Great Falls Symphony was founded she encouraged the organization to form a Symphonic Choir for the purpose of revealing the great and abundant repertoire for choir and orchestra. Not only did this expand the mission of the Symphony, it also created a format for many talented singers to continue their involvement in music.
Mary had a specific talent that she used in a virtuoso manner. It was a combination of intelligence, musicality, and kindness. These qualities not only made her effective in her role as a leader but a beloved figurehead as well. Whether she was conducting, teaching, or singing, her dynamic personality soared. Her deep sense of humanity, infused with her innate artistry, enabled the music she was sharing come fully alive.
Through sharing her love of music, and of humanity, Mary became, and will remain, a true and treasured friend.
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- Gordon Johnson
