David Manley is the Choral and Music Director for the Mayflower Chorus. He has been Accompanist / Assistant Choral Director / Interim Music Director for the Mayflower Chorus since 2003. He also provides recordings, arrangements, vocal coaching and video editing. Additionally, he serves as Band Leader - providing oversight for musicians and instrumental arrangements.

While the Chorus was grounded during Covid, David provided the impetus and video/audio recording and editing skills to keep the Chorus active making music videos and producing virtual shows.

David's long and winding musical road has led him to play guitar in rock bands, violin & viola in community orchestras, piano in classical recitals, and provide Musical/Vocal Direction for numerous Musical Theatre productions around the Bay Area.

He currently teaches private lessons from his studio in San Francisco, and music courses at Cogswell University of Silicon Valley in San Jose.

For more information please visit davidmanleymusic.com.

Founding director Larry Vargo inspired and shaped the Chorus through years of growth and recognition until his death in 1991. Since then, the Mayflower has been led by outstanding choral directors such as Buzz Halsing, Daniel Canosa, Mark Penn and Robert Hazelrigg. Our mutli-instrumentalist and music director David Manley has been with us since 2003 and currently serves as Choral Director. In addition, dedicated members volunteer time, skills and resources to keep the Chorus operating smoothly. 

In early 1993 chorus members elected to form the Mayflower Choral Society as a nonprofit, parent corporation of The Mayflower Chorus. The Society’s Mission is to provide cultural and educational benefits to members and the community through performances for the general public, at fairs, festivals, assisted-living facilities and other community gatherings. The Society supports Music and Performance Workshops, which are open to the community, and grants scholarships to individuals showing promise in composing, arranging, directing or singing.

In 2008 Mayflower moved from its 18-year stint at The Playhouse in San Anselmo to the Showcase Theater at the Marin Civic Center in San Rafael. The Chorus’ varied repertoire includes choral arrangements of pop, rock, jazz, Broadway, and classical music, as well as original compositions and arrangements. And while we’re primarily a choral group, our shows include narration, movement, props and costumes. The fabulous Mayflower Band both accompanies us and performs instrumental numbers.

The Mayflower is a community chorus in every sense of the word. We are a fun-loving, unpretentious group unified by a love of singing great music together. We also travel and perform internationally every three years, most recently in Cuba and Croatia.

We’d love to put you on our mailing list!  

Lauri Flynn

Bob Healy

Nick Kershaw

Gretchen Klein, Secretary

Phil Muller

John Neal

Alex Peters, Vice President

Teresa Saltzman

Pat Sowden

Melissa Tucker, President

< Front L to R: Pat Sowden(S), Debra Lewandowski(S), Gretchen Klein(S), Susan Charleton(A), Beth Slye(A), Juanita Chase(A), Melissa Tucker(A) >

< Back L to R: Fred Wright(T), Thomas Stephens(T), Phil Muller(B), Tom Dembski(B), Ken Klein(B),  David Manley (Not pictured) serves as Music Coach and accompanist. >

Fourth Street Beat, a mixed vocal ensemble which formed in the early 1990’s, takes its name from Fourth Street in San Rafael. The group routinely sings at Mayflower concerts and fundraisers. Since the early 2000’s, with the aid of financing through the generosity of private donors, they have performed at skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and assisted living centers for residents and staff. Fourth Street members find this activity extremely rewarding as the residents often respond with requests for them to return. Recently Fourth Street Beat has been seen singing the National Anthem at San Rafael Pacifics’ baseball games as well as performing at the Marin County Fair and throughout the county at community events. 

In 2007 six women inspired by friendship, laughter and their love of song formed a new group, Le Sorelle, choosing for their name the Italian translation of “The Sisters”.  The group’s debut song was a haunting 17th century ballad called “Shule Agrah”. The performance was so well received that the group sang this song during European trips to Ireland and Portugal. The members have changed over the years, and all of the sisters enjoy joining forces with other ensembles to take music to the community by performing at senior living facilities and other community events.

< L to R:  Philip Wyatt, Phil Muller, Alan Kepner, Tom Dembski, Patrick Douglas, Mike Heiner >

The Crescendudes have a long history with Mayflower, forming way back in 2018 to fill a longstanding gap in the chorus – a “guy group” that doesn’t take itself very seriously, but does take its music and showmanship quite seriously. Their goal is to find and perform music that makes the audience smile and fits well within each season’s theme.  They are especially interested in humorously addressing serious societal issues. A big audience hit was the “Dudes” performing at intermission as backup Elveses (as in Elvis elves) to accompany Elvis singing “Blue Raffle.”