Coconut Creek Resident Celebrates 50 Years with Choral Group

by David Volz March 18, 2026

12Shares

Chuck Stanley is celebrating 50 years with Nova Singers. {David Volz}

For 50 years, Chuck Stanley has been a leader of the Nova Singers.

Stanley, a resident of Coconut Creek, has served as the Artistic Director of the choral group since 2010. This year, as the group celebrates its 50th anniversary, it is also receiving proclamations for musical excellence from Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis and the Broward County Cultural Division.

A charter member of Nova Singers, Stanley worked with the late Peggy Joyce Barber, the former Stranahan High School chorus director. Spurred by her students’ desire to continue singing after graduation, Barber founded Nova Singers in 1976, which has grown to about 120 members. The group rehearses every Tuesday night and performs 10 times across three concerts each year in multiple locations. The other charter member is soprano Barbara Taxis Yatrousis.

“We bring joy to the community when we sing, and I do my best to make the rehearsals fun and engaging. We have traveled to Europe, and last year we performed in the Baltics,” said Stanley.

Nova Singers perform classical, popular, spirituals, and holiday music. The group includes members who have been active for more than 20 years as well as newcomers, creating a diverse ensemble. Building on this diversity, Stanley encourages people from all singing backgrounds to come and audition.

“One of our goals is to present choral music written by today’s emerging composers. We have presented Elaine Hagenberg’s Illuminaire and several Dan Forrest, Eric Whitacre, and Mark Hayes compositions,” said Stanley.

In celebration of the anniversary, Nova Singers recently performed at the Sunshine Cathedral and Christ Church in Fort Lauderdale, and at St. Gregory Catholic Church in Plantation. The concert included John Rutter’s Mass of the Children, which the choir performed with The Florida Singing Sons, a group also celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Stanley is also the organist and choir director at Christ Church.

Nova Singers continues to receive support from Nova Southeastern University (NSU). This ongoing relationship began when Barber partnered with Dr. Abraham Fischler and Mary McCahill, then president and board chairwoman of NSU, who provided crucial early support, according to John List, president of the group and a forty-nine-year member.

Got News in Coconut Creek? Send it Here. Don’t Miss reading NW Broward County’s #1 News Sites: Parkland Talk, Coconut Creek Talk, Coral Springs Talk, Margate Talk, Tamarac Talk, and Sunrise FL Talk.

Author Profile

David Volz

David Volz has worked as a writer in South Florida for 35 years. He has written for the Sun-Sentinel, Hollywood Gazette, School Transportation News, South Dade News Leaders, Observer among others. He has an MA in Communications from Florida Atlantic University and a BA in Communications from Valparaiso University. Volz teaches Communications at Miami Dade College and Palm Beach State College. He lives in Coral Springs and enjoys running and participating in 5Ks and half-marathons.