Orrville Community Chorus awards scholarship

The Orrville Community Chorus Board of Trustees has selected Charles Lorson as the 2026 recipient of the Victor Gerber Memorial Music Scholarship in the amount of $1,000. He is a graduate of Orrville High School and is the son of Andrew and Barbara Lorson. His future plans include pursuing a degree in physics at Ohio State University.

Lorson was active in the Orrville High School Music Department as a member of the marching and concert bands and the percussion ensemble. Extracurricular activities included cross country, track and field, baseball, National Honor Society, Student Athletic Leadership Team, Academic Challenge, Science Olympiad, Aultman Ambassadors, Ski and Board Club, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Honors received include being selected to participate in the OMEA All-State Band, the Ohio Band Directors Conference University of Akron Honor Band and the Tri-County Honor Band.

Scholarships are awarded to seniors graduating from a Wayne County high school who demonstrate outstanding participation in music activities, academic achievement and leadership and who will begin postsecondary education in the fall following graduation. Since the inception of this award in 2003, forty-one scholarships totaling $42,000 have been presented to students representing 11 Wayne County school districts.

Proceeds from the Orrville Community Chorus’ annual presentation of “Messiah” by George Frideric Handel fund the scholarship. This scholarship honors Victor Gerber, former music director for Dalton Local Schools and the founder and former director of the Orrville Community Chorus.

The 2026 performance of “Messiah” by the Orrville Community Chorus is scheduled for 7 p.m. Dec. 6 at Central Christian School, 3970 Kidron Road, Kidron.

Visit the chorus website at www.orrvillecommunitychorus.org for updates and information about the performance and the Victor Gerber Memorial Music Scholarship. Donor information for those wanting to support the Orrville Community Chorus performance and scholarship is available on the website.