About the St. Joseph Community Chorus

It is the mission of the St. Joseph Community Chorus to foster the enjoyment and appreciation of quality choral music among its membership and the community at large by providing an organization of the highest caliber to present exceptional performances of choral literature.

Founded in 1980, the St. Joseph Community Chorus presents interesting, challenging and diverse programs of choral music from classical to contemporary throughout the Midwest. The Chorus has a rich history of outstanding choral performances in many beautiful settings.

In addition to its concert season, the Chorus regularly collaborates with the St. Joseph Symphony performing such works as Haydn’s Te Deum and Creation, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Britten’s War Requiem, Vaughan William’s Sea Symphony, Verdi’s Requiem, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and Orff’s Camina Burana.

The St. Joseph Community Chorus has for 30 years provided quality choral music for St. Joseph and surrounding communities. The Chorus is dedicated to showing the importance of the arts and choral singing as an integral part of community living. SJCC seeks to be a valuable resource for area music teachers and a mentor to young singers in the St. Joseph area.

The Chorus has toured Great Britain, Eastern Europe, France and Belgium. It has performed at state and regional conventions (Missouri Music Educators Association, Missouri Choral Directors Association, American Guild of Organists, PEO) and premiered works by internationally known composers John Bacheret, Donald Patriquin and Stephen Paulus.

From within the Chorus, a select Chamber Choir was created in 1987. The chamber ensemble, invited frequently to perform at public and private events during the year, performs on each the Chorus’ subscription concerts. The Chamber Choir traveled to France in March of 2005 to perform with Chorale Divertimento as part of a choir exchange.

The SJCC enjoys collaboration with other arts organizations:

The St. Joseph Symphony
Allied Arts Council of St. Joseph
St. Joseph Performing Arts Association
The American Guild of Organists
The Missouri Choral Directors Association
The Griffon Junior Singers
Kansas Brass
Innsbruck International Choral Festival
The Missouri Music Educators Association
Northwest Missouri State University Tower Choir
Missouri Western State University Concert Chorale and Chamber Singers
The Marshall, MO Community Chorus
The Northland Community Chorus
The Northland Community Chorus
The Chillicothe, MO Performing Arts Series
The Kansas City, KS Community College Chorus
The St. Joseph Museum
Allied Arts Art Attacks
Sing Out for Peace
The American Barber Boys/Voices of America
Sweet Adelines/Riversong
New Generation Singers
Hospice
St. Joseph Healthy Community
Area High School Choirs
Hiawatha Area Arts and Theatrical Society
State Theater Arts Council of Mound City, MO
Chorale Divertimento of Lille, France
Lawrence Civic Orchestra
Johnson County Chorus
Fountain City Brass Band
Paul Mesner Puppets
Area church choirs
Missouri Verses and Voices

Chorus leadership is committed to presenting a diverse program of traditional choral literature, major works, contemporary music, multi-cultural and commission works. In the past three years, the Chorus has enjoyed collaborations with the St. Joseph Symphony, the Griffon Junior Singers children’s choir, the Missouri Western State University Concert Chorale and Chamber Singers, select area high school singers and the Fountain City Brass Band. The Chorus experienced the highest season ticket sales in its history during the 2008-2009 season, due largely to this commitment to quality programming. As a result of survey comments showing audience interest in “lighter” fare, the 2009 season began with “Songs of the People”, a concert featuring folk music of the world. The addition of the internationally acclaimed Paul Mesner Puppets to the already popular Cathedral Christmas Concert performance of “Amahl and the Night Visitors” attracted not only younger audiences, but concert-goers from the Kansas City area as well. The concert was funded in part by a Missouri Arts Council Touring grant. Area students of all ages were admitted free to the concert and educational program led by Mesner prior to the concert courtesy of a grant from the local Wal Mart.

Concerts of music by Midwest and Missouri composers, commissions of new works, convention performances and presentations and collaboration concerts all serve to generate public interest and awareness in and outside of St. Joseph and Buchanan County. Recent examples: Fall 2008 Sing for the Cure, in conjunction with the opening of the Heartland Breast Cancer Clinic; Christmas 2008 with the Fountain City Brass; Spring 2009 Holocaust Cantata; October 2009 Missouri Verses and Voices; December 2009 Messiah Project with the choirs of five local churches and December 2009 A Cathedral Christmas, with special guests the Paul Mesner Puppets of Kansas City. The Chorus presented the St. Joseph premiere of Missouri Verses and Voices commission pieces Hall of Waters (2010) by Amy Beth Kirsten and The Hardrock Kid (2011) by Robert Pherigo. The 2010-2011 SJCC Concert Season included two Veteran’s Day Concerts with Northwinds Symphonic Band of Kansas City and a special 30th Anniversary Celebration.