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Many Opportunities Exist in Region

It isn't common today to hear a choir with four-part harmony that doesn't include a female voice. All-male choirs aren't common.

But Peoria still has the Orpheus Club, which was formed more than 100 years ago and today is one of the oldest four-part male choruses in the country.

The club formed when 10 young men who enjoyed singing met with voice instructor E. Warren K. Howe in his Peoria studio and formed the club. "Brothers in song, sing on," which are words from one of the group's favorite songs, could be an unofficial motto.

Membership in the group has fluctuated through the years but it remains strong, presenting two concerts each year with songs that showcase the deep rich tones of the basses and baritones and the light melodic sounds of tenors.

Aaron Ganschow is the current director of the Orpheus Club, only the ninth director in its history. Similarly the group doesn't change accompanists very often; current accompanist Marcia Richardson is only the eighth in the club's 110-year history.

Ganschow said one of the reasons the Orpheus Club has had such staying power is the fellowship its members enjoy when they get together for rehearsals and concerts. "It is important that Peoria has a very vibrant arts community. It's not a place where people are afraid to get out there and perform," he said.
Ganschow said the Orpheus Club is an organization, like barbershop groups, that gets men who love to sing together to do classic songs. "We all have music in common and we can have fun while singing some really great music. Something like that never really loses its appeal," he said.

The Orpheus Club has counted among its members some of Peoria's best known voices through the years, including Dirk McGinnis and Jim Maloof, and it once was a mainstay on Peoria radio. Times change, of course, and membership has dwindled through the years.

However, Ganschow said, its numbers are once again on the rise as more men who love to sing find out about the club and come to a couple rehearsals to see what it's all about. After dipping to an active membership of under 30 several years ago, it is now back above 40 with more new members expected this fall.

"The first step in recruiting is to have a great product and I think we do. Guys hear us and want to be part of it. That's how we are growing," he said.

Women may not be included in the Orpheus Club, but they aren't without their own exclusivity. The Heart of Illinois Chorus is a women-only group affiliated with Sweet Adelines International, which has more than 25,000 members worldwide performing in female choruses.

The group, which calls itself "the Hearts" for short, was chartered in January, 1982, and has about 60 members as young as 14 who sing four-part harmony a cappella, arranged in a barbershop style. This is a group that enjoys competition; it has won four Sweet Adelines regional championships and has competed on international stages.

"The music brings us together from all walks of life and the harmony of barbershop weaves us together like the chords we sing," it says on the group's website, www.hoichorus.com.

Like the Orpheus Club men, the Heart of Illinois Chorus finds its membership from among women who love to sing. It has an open invitation to join it in rehearsals on Tuesday nights in the Performing Arts Center at Illinois Center College.

The group is currently looking for a new director as its annual fall show approaches in October, according to its website, but is still available to be booked to perform.
There are several mixed choral groups in the Peoria region, as well. The largest is the Peoria Civic Chorale, which is celebrating its 30th season this year. It has grown from a small ensemble when it started in 1982 to a group of more than 90 singers from towns throughout the region.

Under the direction of David German the Peoria Civic Chorale performs a wide variety of music, "from Renaissance to contemporary, art music to folk and pop, and Broadway to jazz," its website says.

The group's mission statement reads:
"To develop, create, produce and perform a diverse repertoire of the highest quality presented in the most professional manner for the enjoyment, entertainment, aesthetic enrichment and education of its members, its audiences, and those who live in the communities it serves."

Membership in The Civic Chorale is chosen through annual auditions.

For additional information visit
www.peoriacivicchorale.org.

The Pekin Civic Chorus has been entertaining audiences for more than 50 years with bi-annual concerts of music and song largely devoted to musical theatre.

The Pekin Civic Chorus was formed in 1953 as part of the Pekin Orchestra and Choral Society by it first director, Harry Langley. That year the chorus gave its first performance with the Pekin Symphony Orchestra, when they presented "The Messiah."

Proceeds from Pekin Civic Chorus concerts are used to fund the Norma I. Yock Annual Scholarship, which was started in 1987 and is given to a Pekin Community High School outstanding music student who plans to pursue a career in music.

In addition to the scholarship, more than $186,000 has been give to many community groups and the chorus has also donated much of its sheet music to the Pekin High School music department.

Membership in the Pekin Civic Chorus is selected through auditions. For more information visit pekincivicchorus.org.

The Morton Civic Chorus doesn't require its members to audition and welcomes new members each January, when it starts rehearsing for its main show in late May.

Proceeds from the show, which includes multiple performances, benefit the Central Illinois Memorial Kidney Fund and have done so since the group was founded in 1972.

The group, which has nearly 60 members, is directed by Denise Adams. She has been with the Morton Civic Chorus for 28 years.

For more information visit
www.cimkf.org.

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