SRC Community Chorus

The SRC Community Chorus was established in 2005-06 by a generous grant from the Community Foundation of Central Illinois. Its purpose is to provide music education through rehearsal and performance of specific genres of music. The Chorus now averages over 70 singers, musicians, and technicians and produces a minimum of two presentations each year.

Past performances include Handel’s MESSIAH; SONGS TO CELEBRATE THE SEASON; THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE; 50 YEARS OF BROADWAY; A GOLDEN HOLIDAY; and BROADWAY, TOO. Proceeds from the performances are used to benefit scholarships or arts programs sponsored by Spoon River College. In the Spring of 2010, a $10,000 named endowed scholarship was created to honor the late Tom Greenwell, a founding member of the community chorus.

Auditions are NOT required for participation and rehearsals are generally scheduled one evening per week for six weeks with one full week of rehearsals prior to the scheduled presentations.

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In the News...

SPOON RIVER COLLEGE COMMUNITY CHORUS SINGS FOR SCHOLARSHIPS

The Spoon River College Community Chorus presented the musical revue COLE, IRVING, GEORGE and JEROME production to four sold-out houses February 10-12 on the college’s Canton Campus. Now in its seventh year, the chorus has raised over $10,000 through ticket sales to support the SRC Foundation’s Scholarship program.

The Chorus is open to anyone with an interest in singing and no auditions are required. The group currently has members from throughout the entire Spoon River College district ranging in age from 16-85.

“The community chorus is actually a community education class where participants learn about composers and compositions and culminates in a performance each fall and winter,” said Carol Davis, Vice President of Community Outreach and Executive Director of the SRC Foundation. “Participants gain an educational experience, participate in an arts event, and raise funds for scholarships. I thoroughly enjoy every minute spent with this dedicated and fun group.”

The chorus will begin again in September and work toward a presentation of the Christmas section of Handel’s MESSIAH in December. The performance will also include a short segment of traditional Christmas carols.

“We began the Chorus with MESSIAH back in December of 2005,” Davis said. “We thought it was time to do so again. We are anticipating a large group who will want to sing this classic work.”

The Chorus will also present “The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber” in February of 2013. Webber is most known for such musicals as PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, EVITA, CATS, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, JOSEPH & THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT and several other Tony Award-winning productions.

For more information, please contact Carol Davis at (309) 647-6395 or carol.davis@src.edu.

Spoon River College Community Chorus Fall Concert Endows Scholarship

“Representatives of the 50 member Fall 2011 Chorus stop rehearsing for an impromptu photo”

(See Program from event)

The Spoon River College Community Chorus sang to a packed house of 300 at its fall concert An American Choral Mosaic on November 13th in Canton. Funds from ticket sales have endowed the Harley L. Davis Memorial Scholarship at the $10,000 level which will be awarded for the first time in 2012-13.

“The Chorus keeps growing and the music continues to be more challenging,” said Carol Davis who serves as the Executive Director of the SRC Foundation. “We are so grateful for the time and dedication these singers and musicians put into the concerts and for the audience members who attend. Since its inception in 2005, the Chorus has raised over $11,000 through ticket sales and we see no end in sight.”

The Chorus also performed a portion of the concert at the Lincoln Presidential Museum on November 12.

The group, directed by John Davis, is comprised of people from throughout the SRC district and includes all age groups from 18 – 85. Past performances have included a Gilbert & Sullivan Operetta, a Holiday Show, a premiere musical, two Broadway revues, and Handel’s MESSIAH.

The Chorus, which is open to anyone with a love of singing, will start up again the first week in January to rehearse its February 12-14 production COLE, IRVING, GEORGE & JEROME -- a musical revue of the works of musical and popular song writers Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, and Jerome Kern.

Chorus members represent the entire college district. Those participating are Jean Arndt, Andrea Barbknecht, Cynthia Beard, Dave Bishop, Mark Bixler, Carla Bobell, Rob Bobell, Barbi Brewer, Patricia Clark, Sherry Coffey, Carol Davis, Jackie Davis, Jan Dearing, Kevin Dearing, Ann Doolen, Richard Etter, Bethany Freitag, Jeanine Gaumer, Peggy Glatz, John Harmon, Jim Hartford, Jan Hartford, Rita Hatch, Bob Heppenstall, Roger Howerter, Chad Leitschuh, Wendy Martin, Sara Mathis, Susie McMillen, Jeanette McWhorter, Glenn Nestlerode, Natalie Orwig, Ron Rupe, Gary Schindler, Julie Seeley, Christy Semande, Ron Smith, Sue Smith, Jean Sprecher, Jeanine Standard, John Stanko, Pat Stanko, Maureen Stein, Melissa Walker, Judy White, Pam Willison, and Kandy Wright. Gretchen Fuller is accompanist with Pam Willison joining her on four-hand piano.

For more information about the Community Chorus, please call (309) 647-6260 or contact Carol Davis at carol.davis@src.edu.

The Spoon River College Community Chorus will present two programs in 2011-12.

An American Choral Mosaic: Music by America’s Great Composers will be presented November 12 (Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield) and November 13 (First Christian Church in Canton). Rehearsals will begin in September. This program includes such composers as Aaron Copland, Randall Thompson, Leonard Bernstein, Robert Shaw, Harry Warren, Duke Ellington, and “Fats” Waller.

Cole, Irving, George, and Jerome will be presented in mid-February. Rehearsals will begin in January. This production will feature the works of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, and Jerome Kern – the “Kings” of music from the 1930s – 1950s. These composers are famous for single compositions (e.g. White Christmas, Rhapsody in Blue, Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off) and for such musicals as ANYTHING GOES, PORGY AND BESS, ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, and SHOWBOAT.)

The Chorus is open to anyone who loves to sing quality music. The chorus currently has about 60 members ranging in age from 15 to 80. Rehearsals are treated like classrooms where participants not only learn the songs but also the history and other information about the songs, composers, and time periods in which the songs were written. Net proceeds from the performances are given to the SRC Foundation for scholarships.

For more information, please contact Carol Davis at 309-647-6395.

MASS THEATRICAL - FEBRUARY 2011

The Spoon River College Community Chorus presented a new musical written by composer Richard Etter thanks to a generous grant from the Community Foundation of Central Illinois. The musical -- MASS THEATRICAL -- is a full two act production requiring a full cast/chorus, a children’s ensemble, and instrumentation. The premiere performance dates were February 17, 18, and 19, 2011 at the SRC Theatre in Taylor Hall on the Canton campus.

The project was made possible by a grant from the Mildred L. Arends Musical & Cultural Activities Fund and the George A. Fulton Fund of the Community Foundation of Central Illinois.

The SRC Community Chorus is an outreach program sponsored by the SRC Foundation,” said Carol Davis, Vice President of Community Outreach for the college. “This will be our sixth year of presenting quality musical performances with educational/entertainment objectives. The opportunity afforded us by the Community Foundation of Central Illinois meets all of our objectives and more. We are extremely grateful for this grant.”

MASS THEATRICAL was written by Fulton County native Richard Etter in 2007. He has been searching for a group to premiere the work since that time. After taking part in the SRC Community Chorus production in February 2010, he decided to approach Carol Davis to direct and John L. Davis to conduct.

“I was very excited to have this production produced,” said Richard Etter. “I was confident in selecting the SRC Community Chorus as the vehicle for its first presentation and I enjoyed working with John, Carol, and the rest of the SRC Chorus."

This is not the first time the Community Foundation has awarded the SRC Foundation a grant. The Community Foundation of Central Illinois provided the funds for the establishment of the Spoon River College Community Chorus in 2005-06.

“We knew there was a desire for a community chorus in the college district,” Davis said. “We just needed the start-up funds to get it established. The Community Foundation gave us our start and over 60 individuals from throughout west central Illinois sang in our first presentation of Handel’s MESSIAH. The program has expanded every year since then.”

For more information about the SRC Community Chorus, please contact Carol Davis at (309) 647-6395 or carol.davis@src.edu.

For more information about the Community Foundation of Central Illinois, please visit www.communityfoundationci.org.