SRC Community Chorus Concert Rehearsals Begin September 28

The Spoon River College Community Chorus will present Songs and Snowflakes on Dec. 2 and 3, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. at the First Christian Church in Canton. As has become the tradition, this season’s concert will feature classical, traditional, sacred and secular songs in a variety of musical styles and instrumental accompaniments.

Participation in the SRC Community Chorus is open to anyone with a love of music and performance. No auditions are required, and all ages and vocal ranges are welcome.  Rehearsals will be held on Thursday evenings beginning on Sept. 28th at 6:30 p.m. at the Canton Church of the Brethren, located at 3rd and Chestnut. The concert is conducted by John L. Davis and accompanied by Gretchen Fuller. Tickets go on sale Oct. 16.

“The organization originated in 2005 and has grown to include over 100 singers, musicians and technicians,” said Carol Davis, artistic director.  “We have raised funds to establish five $10,000 named endowed scholarships. The generous support of participants and audience members enables students to pursue their educational dreams.”

A sixth named endowed scholarship has been established through the SRC Foundation in memory of Vicki Murphy, mother of founding chorus member Chad Murphy, who recently passed away.  Proceeds from the entire 2017-18 Chorus season will be dedicated to this scholarship.

The Chorus recently presented sold out performances of the comedy Vanities. Also in December, the SRC Chorus and Tenacious, Inc. are producing the hilarious holiday comedy A Tuna Christmas featuring John L. Davis, Chad Murphy, and Clay Klinedinst playing over 20 roles.  A Tuna Christmas will be presented at Big Horse Vineyards Dec. 16-17, 2017. The 2017-18 season concludes with the Tony-awarding winning musical Fiddler on the Roof, June 28-July 1, 2018.

More information will be forthcoming about ticket sales, casting, and scholarships.  Visit www.src.edu/foundation and click on the SRC Community Chorus link, like us on Facebook, or contact Carol Davis by emailing cdavis.tenacious@gmail.com.

SRC Community Chorus Presents the Comedy Vanities

Vanities is a laugh-out-loud poignant comedy about the growth of a friendship among three small town women coming of age in the 1960s and ’70s. Staged in the Canton Spoon River College Theater in Taylor Hall, Vanities runs Friday, August 18 @ 7:00 p.m., Saturday, August 19 @ 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, August 20 at 3:00 p.m.  Tickets are now on sale.

The production features veteran actresses Sara Mathis, Corrinna Markland, and Lindsey Ridenour Larson as best friends growing up in Texas during a time when women’s roles were changing.  Their adaptations provide hilarious moments as well as realistic approaches to life before, during and after the Age of Aquarius. Vanities is directed by Carol Davis.

Featured in the production will be live performances of Top 40 music from 1963 to 1974.

General admission tickets may be reserved by calling (309) 649-6260 or by emailing cdavis.tenacious@gmail.com.

Vanities had one of the longest Off-Broadway runs on record. The comedy opened at Playwrights Horizons, New York City on January 15, 1976, for 13 performances, and then transferred to the Chelsea Theatre Center (now the Westside Theatre) where it ran for 1,785 performances. Newsweek, the New York Post, and New York Magazine declared it “unnervingly funny,” a “brilliant clever play,” and “uncommonly attractive.”

The 2017-18 Chorus season continues in December with Snowflakes and Songs on December 2 and 3; A Tuna Christmas at Big Horse Vineyards on December 16 and 17; and Fiddler on the Roof in June 2018.

The SRC Community Chorus presents concerts, revues, plays, and musicals for the love of performance and to raise funds for the SRC Foundation’s scholarship program. Participation in the SRC Chorus is open to anyone with a love of performance. For more information about the Chorus, please visit the Chorus web page at www.src.edu/foundation.

SRC Community Chorus Announces 2017-2018 Season of Events

The Spoon River College Community Chorus announces its slate of comedies, musicals, and concerts for the 2017-2018 season.  The SRC Community Chorus is in its 12^th year of providing quality entertainment utilizing the talents of local singers, actors, musicians and technicians. Proceeds from all presentations support the SRC Foundation’s scholarship program.

VANITIES

The new season begins with VANITIES, a comedy/drama surrounding the lives of three female friends in high school, through college, and then in the real world.  This fast-paced show, set from 1962-1974, presents a nostalgic look at the lives of women in a time of American turbulence.  Sara Mathis, Corrinna Markland, and Lindsey Ridenour Larson play the roles of Kathy, Joanne and Mary.

Also, featured in the show will be Carla Bobell, Julie Seeley, and Carmen McCarthy performing live music from the 1960s and 70s.

The production runs August 18, 19 and 20 in the SRC Theater on the Canton campus.  Tickets go on sale July 10.

“We are very happy to be bringing this hilarious and poignant show to Fulton County,” said Carol Davis, artistic director of the SRC Chorus and director of Vanities.  “The script has so much to say about the complicated roles women played in the 1960s and 70s. We have some of the best female talent in central Illinois performing in this production.”

SONGS AND SNOWFLAKES

On December 2 and 3, the SRC Community Chorus will present its annual holiday concert, directed by John L. Davis.  SONGS AND SNOWFLAKES will feature a variety of traditional, secular and sacred music.

“It is a great pleasure to direct such a talented group of singers and musicians in the holiday concert each year,” said John Davis.  “The chorus members are never afraid to tackle difficult arrangements and we have fun and laughter while rehearsing.”

The SRC winter concert is open to all with a love of singing.  No auditions are required.  Rehearsals will begin on Thursday, September 28 at 6:30 p.m. at the Canton Church of the Brethren.

A TUNA CHRISTMAS

The SRC Chorus partners with Tenacious, Inc. to present one of the funniest productions ever written.  A TUNA CHRISTMAS, slated for December 16 and 17 at Big Horse Vineyards in Lewistown, features Chad Murphy, Chad Leitschuh, and Clay Klinedinst playing over 25 male and female roles.  Carol Davis directs.

Tuna is a fictitious small town in Texas filled with quirky characters attempting to celebrate Christmas.  Each of the actors plays multiple roles, changing costumes and characterizations in front of the audience.  The actions are playfully broadcast through the airwaves of Tuna’s own radio station – OKKK.

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

The season closes with the impactful Tony-Award winning musical FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, June 28-30 and July 1, 2018.  Fiddler on the Roof features music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters and other tales by Sholem Aleichem.

The SRC Community Chorus begins funding its sixth named endowed scholarship this season.

To keep updated on SRC Chorus presentations, please contact Carol Davis at (309) 338-7698, cdavis.tenacious@gmail.com.  Information may also be found on the SRC Foundation’s website:  www.src.edu/foundation or Like us on Facebook.

SRC Community Chorus Presents Ken Bradbury In Concert

One of the most popular performers in Illinois is coming to Canton for one performance only on Sunday, February 12 at 3:00 p.m. at the Canton Church of the Brethren, 269 East Chestnut.   Ken Bradbury presents his one-man show “Ken Bradbury in Concert:  A Whirlwind Tour of the Music of America in Story and Melody.”  The concert is sponsored by the Spoon River College Community Chorus as part of its mini-concert series.

Tickets may be reserved by calling (309) 649-6260 or by contacting Carol Davis at cdavis.tenacious@gmail.com.  General admission tickets are $10 with proceeds going to the SRC Foundation’s scholarship program.  Seating is limited to 100.

“Ken is one of the funniest and most gifted performers I’ve had the opportunity to meet,” said Carol Davis, Artistic Director for the Chorus.  “He first appeared for us at one of SRC’s Spoon River Reads events and had the audience enthralled.  We’ve been asked to bring him back many times.”

Ken Bradbury, until recently a teacher at Triopia Jr-Sr High School for 35 years, and now an instructor at Lincoln Land Community College, is a resident of Jacksonville, Illinois. Since 1995, he has been named the most-produced author of dramatic material for competition in the United States.

Ken is the author of The Coonridge Digest, a newspaper column appearing in 14 Midwest newspapers, and has won the Associated Press Award for “Best Humor Column.”   He’s also the author of five books, The Coonridge Digest, Around the World with Freida Marie Crump, The Coonridge Devotions, Homerville, Souptown, Bilgewater, and his most recent book of children’s poetry, The Place Where We Live. He’s also a regular columnist for The Source newspaper. He’s the author of over 500 published plays.

Bradbury is a staff writer for Cass Communications and has authored and appeared in over 100 television commercials for the company.  He’s written music for five recordings by Shiloh, a Christian singing group, and is a founder and director of the Green Pastures Performing Arts Camp. His play, Shadow of Giants (also co-authored with Robert Crowe) appeared on PBS television. Bradbury was the winner of the Downstate Playwrights Award at the University of Illinois. His recent musical, Genesis, the Musical, played to several Midwest venues.

Ken spends much of his summer as the resident Honky-Tonk piano player on the Spirit of Peoria Riverboat, cruising the Illinois River from Starved Rock to St. Louis.

In addition to numerous other awards, Ken was awarded the honorary Doctor of Fine Arts by MacMurray College in Jacksonville, the honorary Doctor of Letters by Illinois College, was inducted into the Jacksonville Hall of Fame, and received the Studs Terkel Humanities Award.

He also plays the bagpipes, much to the chagrin of his Illinois neighbors.

For more information about the Bradbury Concert or to learn more about the SRC Community Chorus, please visit the Chorus webpage at www.src/foundation, on Facebook or contact Carol Davis at cdavis.tenacious@gmail.com.

SRC Community Chorus Adds Fifth Scholarship After Holiday Concert

The Spoon River College Community Chorus presentation of A Joyous Jubilee in December resulted in the establishment of a fifth named endowed scholarship for the SRC Foundation.  The Gail A. Mathis Memorial Scholarship will be available for students attending SRC during the 2017-2018 academic year.  Applications for this and all other Foundation Scholarships will be available later this month at src.edu/foundation.

A Joyous Jubilee featured 60 singers, musicians, and technicians who presented the 1 ½ hour presentation to approximately 400 audience members at the First Christian Church in Canton.  Joining the Chorus this year was a string quartet from Bradley University.

“John Davis selected a variety of holiday music for this concert,” said Carol Davis, Artistic Director of the SRC Community Chorus.  “The audience enjoyed traditional and classical pieces, jazz selections, movie and musical numbers, and even an arrangement of Jingle Bells written specifically for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.”

Starting in 2017, the SRC Chorus will begin funding its sixth named endowed scholarship.  Named endowed scholarships are established when funding reaches the $10,000 level.  The scholarships become permanently endowed and interest earned off the scholarships is awarded annually in perpetuity.

“It is our way of awarding scholarships to SRC students and recognizing the contributions of those individuals who have supported the SRC Chorus over the years,” Davis said.  “Best of all, the Chorus is completely self-funded through ticket sales and grants so there is no cost to the college or the Foundation.”

The SRC Chorus is open to anyone with a love of singing and performance.  No auditions are required.

The next performance will next feature the popular Ken Bradbury in a mini-concert to be held on Sunday, February 12^th.  For more information on that and other Chorus events, visit the Chorus webpage src.edu/foundation, Like the Chorus Facebook page, or contact Carol Davis at (309) 338-7698 or cdavis.tenacious@gmail.com.

Tickets On Sale For the SRC Community Chorus Production of A Joyous Jubilee

Tickets are now on sale for the SRC Community Chorus concert A Joyous Jubilee.  The concert features 60 singers, musicians and technicians and will be presented on Saturday, December 3 and Sunday, December 4 at the First Christian Church in Canton.  Both performances are at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets may be obtained by calling (309) 647-6260 or through chorus members.

Chorus members participating in the concert are Andrea Barbknecht, Andrea Garnett, Audra Miles, Becky Silva, Betty Cooper, Bruce Beal, Carla Bobell, Carol Davis, Carol Kohler, Chad Leitschuh, Chad Murphy, Colin Davis, Dave Norton, Doris Taylor, Glenn Nestlerode, Jackie Davis, Jasper Brown, Jean Sprecher, Jeanette McWhorter, JoEllyn Welch, Jon Mathis, Kathleen Brumbaugh, Marilyn Mathis, Micah Garnett, Randy Weaver, Bob Heppenstall, Janet Vass, Jean Arndt, Jeanine Gaumer, Jeanine Standard, Jennifer Cooper, Jim Gage, Jo Potter Keen, Judy White, Karen Shaw, Katey Davis, Kenny Taylor, Leta Krock, Natalie Orwig, Nina Nestlerode, Pam Willison, Richard Etter, Roberta Tomlinson, Ron Rupe, Ron Smith, Sara Mathis, Sherry Hilton, Sue O’Flaherty, Susie McMillen, Tammy Weaver, Teresa Rue, Virginia Reter and Wendy Martin.

A Joyous Jubilee will feature a combination of classical, traditional and contemporary holiday songs.  Featured selections include Handel’s Alleluia; Pergolesi’s Glory to God in the Highest; Ding Dong Merrily on High; Mary, Did You Know; Still, Still, Still; John Williams’ Star of Bethlehem and Somewhere in My Memory; a new version of Jingle Bells composed for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir; Christmas Time Is Here from A Charlie Brown Christmas; Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas; Over the River and Through the Woods;  the Bing Crosby and David Bowie version of Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth; a medley entitled Irving Berlin’s Christmas and more.

John L. Davis directs A Joyous Jubilee with Gretchen Fuller accompanying.  A string ensemble will also be featured.

The SRC Community Chorus artistic director is Carol Davis.  Proceeds from ticket sales fund named endowed scholarships for SRC students.   The chorus is currently funding the Gail A. Mathis Memorial Scholarship.  Mr. Mathis sang with the SRC Chorus.

For more information, please contact Colin Davis at colin.davis@src.edu or Carol Davis at cdavis.tenacious@gmail.com

SRC Community Chorus Concert Rehearsals Begin September 29

The Spoon River College Community Chorus will present A JOYOUS JUBILEE on December 3 and 4 at the First Christian Church in Canton. The concert, conducted by John L. Davis and accompanied by Gretchen Fuller, will feature a variety of classical, traditional, and contemporary holiday songs.  Tickets will go on sale October 17.

Participation in the SRC Community Chorus is open to anyone with a love of music and performance.  No auditions are required and all ages and vocal ranges are welcome.  Rehearsals will be held on Thursday evenings beginning on September 29th at 6:30 p.m. at the Canton Church of the Brethren located at 3rd and Chestnut.

As has become the tradition, this season’s concert will be challenging, but will also feature some of the lighter side of holiday music including such favorites as Ding Dong Merrily On High, Mary Did You Know?, Christmas Time Is Here, Almost Christmas, An Irving Berlin Christmas Medley, Joy to the World and many more.

“The organization originated in 2005 and has grown to include over 100 singers, musicians, and technicians,” said Carol Davis, Artistic Director.  “We have raised funds to establish four $10,000 named endowed scholarships.   The generous support of participants and audience members enables students to pursue their educational dreams.”

A fifth named endowed scholarship has been established through the SRC Foundation in memory of Gail A. Mathis, a chorus member who recently passed away.  Proceeds from A Joyous Jubilee will be donated to this scholarship.

The Chorus recently presented the comedy Bleacher Bums playing to four sold out houses. To learn more about the SRC Community Chorus, please visit www.src.edu/foundation and click on the Community Chorus link, Like Us on Facebook, or contact Carol Davis at cdavis.tenacious@gmail.com.

SRC Community Chorus Will Present “Bleacher Bums”

Tickets are now on sale for the baseball comedy Bleacher Bums being presented by the Spoon River College Community Chorus September 8 – 11.  Bleacher Bums, directed by Carol Davis, highlights the crazy antics of Wrigley Field’s bleacher fans as the Chicago Cubs take on the St. Louis Cardinals in 1977.   General admission tickets are available by calling 647-6260 or from any cast member.

“This show is a classic in the Chicago area,” said Davis.  “Through the eyes of the Bleacher Bums, the audience members experience a complete nine-inning game between the greatest baseball rivals in major league baseball.  Hilarious characters, a stadium organist and announcer, sounds from the field, and the 7th inning stretch singing of Take Me Out to the Ballgame keeps the audience laughing all night long. ”

The cast itself is a delightful hodgepodge of seasoned and first time actors.  Cast members include Bill Leitze as Zig, Martha Harr as Rose, Noah Lane as the insane Cheerleader, Julie Hemp as Melody, BJ Stone as Marvin, Jason Rockhold as Greg,  Chad Murphy as Decker, Clay Klinedinst as Richie, Dave Barbknecht as The Guard, Kenny Taylor as The Mysterious Fan, and Craig Zilly as the ballpark announcer.  At the stadium organ is Gwen Alexander.

The production staff chairs are Robin Henry (properties); Collin Richey Tucker and Will Golden (lights); Randy Weaver (sound); Brendon Bauman (marketing); Katey Kohler (prompter); Andrea Barbknecht (hair and make-up); Jessica Brewer (art decoration); and Jackie Davis (ushers).  Bob Haile and the SRC Maintenance staff constructed the set.

“The show is conceived and written by veteran actor Joe Mantegna,” Davis said.  “The play was updated to 1989 but I love the 1977 version when Bruce Sutter was on the mound and Lou Brock stole bases.  I contacted the licensing agency in New York and requested permission to perform the earlier version.  On my behalf, the agency contacted Mantegna’s agent and they graciously allowed us to perform this version.  We had a hard time finding a script but it was definitely worth the search.”

Besides this area’s unprecedented Cubs/Cardinals fan rivalry, the show has another local connection.   Pitcher Rickey Reuschel, who starts the 1977 game for the Cubs in Bleacher Bums, is the brother of Paul Reuschel.  Paul lived in Macomb when his wife was the Macomb Superintendent of Schools.   Both Rick, as a starter, and Paul, as a reliever, pitched for the Chicago Cubs in 1977.

For more information on the SRC Community Chorus or Bleacher Bums, contact Carol Davis at cdavis.tenacious@gmail.com or (309) 338-7698.

SRC Community Chorus Celebrates Successful Season and Plans Next

As Spoon River College’s academic year closes, so does the 2015-2016 season of the Spoon River College Community Chorus.  With its three presentations and over 100 members, the chorus added thousands to its fifth named endowed scholarship with the SRC Foundation.

The season began with the group’s annual holiday concert, Winter Wonders, in December, followed in February with A Classic Afternoon, featuring Alison Richter-Meuth and John L. Davis.  Last month, the Chorus presented Hotel Holidaze written by Carol Davis.

“We are so pleased that approximately 1,000 tickets were sold in all,” said artistic director Carol Davis.  “After expenses, net proceeds are given to the SRC Foundation for scholarships.  To date, the chorus has established four named endowed scholarships and is currently funding its fifth.  The chorus members enjoy performing but especially appreciate doing so for a wonderful cause.”

The 2016-2017 season features three distinctly different presentations.

BLEACHER BUMS, written by Joe Mantegna, is a hilarious comedy set in 1977 at Wrigley Field.  The wild nine-inning game between the Cubs and the Cardinals highlights the crazed Cubs fans who sit in the bleachers year after year awaiting a Cubs World Series.  Bleacher Bums runs September 8-11 in the SRC Theater in Taylor Hall on the Canton Campus.   The show is directed by Carol Davis.

“We are really looking forward to this production,” Davis said.  “We will be featuring some rarely seen cast members.  When we announce the cast, we believe many people will come just to see these surprise performers do something they’ve never done before.”

On December 3 and 4, the Chorus will present its annual holiday concert at the First Christian Church in Canton.   A Joyous Jubilee features music from several genres including classical, contemporary and holiday favorites.   John L. Davis serves as musical director for this concert.

The ever-entertaining Ken Bradbury is the featured performer in this year’s mini-concert scheduled for Sunday afternoon, February 12th.  Ken is a multi-talented singer, songwriter, and playwright who performs throughout Illinois and Missouri, and a frequent guest artist on the Spirit of Peoria.  He last performed at the college during the Spoon River Reads program.

The SRC Community Chorus is an extension of the SRC Foundation and is open to anyone who has a love for performance.  Auditions are not required.  For more information, please contact Carol Davis at cdavis.tenacious@gmail.com or (309) 338-7698.