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The pews in Fort Washington's Bethany Christian Church were filled with music lovers as 33 singers, clad in tuxedoes and black dresses, took to the stage.

Conductor Richard Giarusso looked to the piano player, and as she stroked the keys, he wove his baton until his singers belted out the first lines of Norma Dello Joio's "A Jubilant Song."

The May 17 performance by The Maryland Choral Society was the final of their concert season, and the Clinton-based choral group is one of a few in Prince George's County which bring concert hall-worthy performances to locally accessible churches and venues.

Other professional chorales include the Laurel-based Central Maryland Chorale, which wrapped up its 40th anniversary season this month. Like other area choral groups, they perform a few major shows throughout the year, including fall and Christmas concerts.

Central Maryland Chorale presents a range of music for their smaller concerts, like Americana or show tunes, but sticks to classical and major choral works for their annual, large performances.

CMC President Dana Raitt said group members, who are all volunteers, practice once a week

"Especially in today's economy, a ticket for our concert is $15 or $10 if you're a student or a senior. You can't get that kind of performance, that kind of music anywhere cheaper," Raitt said. "You can go to the Kennedy Center and spend three times that amount.

The Greenbelt and Upper Marlboro-based Prince George's Choral Society also performs a variety of music, from show tunes to gospel to ragtime to classical. Just like other groups, they present three major concerts a year, but also perform at other events, like December's holiday White House open house.

President Dorothy Carroll said the group, founded in 1962, includes members of all ages, including an Eleanor Roosevelt High School student.

"It's like a family. They're a wonderful group of people," Carroll said.

The group practices weekly and most of its 32 members are county residents, Carroll said.

The Maryland Choral Society holds auditions for its members, who also practice once a week with Giarusso, artistic director, ahead of their three major yearly concerts. They perform a variety of music, from Christmas songs to major, long works, sometimes in Latin or German.

Giarusso said choral music is accessible to a wide audience and listeners don't need specialized knowledge to enjoy the performances.

"I don't think there are any prerequisites for attending a choral concert other than a willingness to engage and enjoy what's happening," he said. "Choral music has the potential to be one of the most non-intimidating and inviting types of music for non-initiated listeners."

Maryland Choral Society President David Johnson said it takes a lot of practice for the singers to ensure the audience can easily understand and feel the emotion behind pieces like those by German composer Felix Mendelssohn.

"It doesn't matter if it's in Latin, it doesn't matter if it's in German. You can still get a sense of what the music is trying to evoke emotionally in you," he said.

Glenn White of Upper Marlboro auditioned for the Maryland Choral Society 25 years ago. A statistician by day, White said he finds joy in performing good and challenging music.

"It's a great sense of satisfaction to bring some classical music to the suburbs," he said.

Maryland Choral Society singer Nancy Ernest of Upper Marlboro said local music lovers may not be able to go to performance venues like those in Washington, D.C. to hear similar live musical performances.

"It's nice to bring this to a setting where people are comfortable going," Ernest said.

Jerry Williams of Temple Hills was in the audience May 17 for the Maryland Choral Society's show. He said live vocal music is more engaging than listening to a recording.

"This is very personal," he said. "There's just an inner peace to it."

Williams also appreciates the proximity of the group's performance. He said it only takes him 10 minutes to get to the church where they often perform.

Laura Mack of Clinton said "seeing the enthusiasm on the [singers'] faces and watching the conductor's body movements" makes live performances entertaining.

She said Washington, D.C. residents have easy access to performances of a similar caliber, so she's happy to "having something within our own community."

"Here's singing in our own neighborhood," Mack said as she waited for the May 17 show to begin. "It keeps people within the community."

Prince George's chorale/choral Groups

To join the Prince George's Choral Society, call 301-336-8539

To join the Central Maryland Chorale, attend Monday night rehearsals beginning at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 31 at the Laurel Presbyterian Church on 7610 Old Sandy Spring Road.

To join the Maryland Choral Society, visit www.marylandchoralsociety.org.

E-mail Elahe Izadi at eizadi@gazette.net.