The Litchfield County Choral Union was established in 1899 by Ellen and Carl Stoeckel in memory of Mrs. Stoeckels father, Robbins Battell, who throughout his life was an outstanding figure in the musical life of Northwestern Connecticut.
In 1906, after five years of concerts, the Music Shed was erected on the Stoeckel’s Norfolk estate. The building, lined with California redwood, was and remains today a concert hall of remarkably fine acoustic quality.
After Mrs. Stoeckel’s death in 1939, Yale University established a school of art, literature and music on the estate as set forth in her will. In 1951 the Litchfield County Choral Union was reorganized and has since presented each year, in the Music Shed, a concert of a major choral work with orchestra.