About The Merrie Olde Christmas Carolers

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Founded in 1977 by Ken Malucelli (ASCAP), The Merrie Olde Christmas Carolers began with a quartet of singers from The San Francisco Opera Chorus (pictured here). Ken—the original tenor and the composer of our signature songbook—had a vision:

“I didn’t want to do what every other caroling group was doing—singing the same tired arrangements of ‘Deck the Hall’ or ‘Silent Night.’ I wanted to create something fresh, something theatrical. So I wrote my own arrangements, added hand-held noisemakers like sleigh bells, finger cymbals, kazoos, tambourines, slide whistles, even sirens. I also staged and choreographed songs so we weren’t just standing and singing—we were performing.” - Ken Malucelli

That spirit of originality and fun quickly spread. Today, our San Francisco Bay Area branch boasts a roster of more than 50 singers, while our Sacramento branch has seen its performance schedule more than triple in recent years.    The Sacramento branch also celebrates nearly 30 years of merrie-making!

Over the past five decades, MOCC has established branches in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Monterey Bay, New York, Phoenix, San Diego, Stockton, and Kansas City—with our Twin Cities branch still going strong. 

That’s a lot of caroling!

While others may claim the title, MOCC is truly the oldest and largest professional caroling organization in the United States.