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Love to Sing?
Many Opportunities Exist in Region
By Paul Gordon
The Present
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 com-
mon.
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. War-
ren 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 his-
tory. Similarly the group doesn’t
change accompanists very often;
current accompanist Marcia Rich-
ardson 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 fel-
lowship 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.
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thePeorian.com
The Peoria Civic Chorale is seen during a performance earlier this year.
On the facing page is shown a smaller portion of the chorale as it follows the direction of David German.