St. Charles Singers

Description

Members of SCS are paid, professional singers who perform with discipline and who demand excellence of themselves and each other. A smooth and beautiful blend of voices, and a trained understanding of the nuances of great ensemble singing, are the traits that bring St. Charles Singers' audiences back time and again.

SCS is a 501 © 3 organization governed by a professionally diverse, volunteer board of directors.

Season 2022 Roster

Soprano Section Megan Bell, Ingrid Burrichter, Jeanne Fornari, Jennifer Gingrich, , AnDréa James, Laura Johnson, Amanda Kohl, Marybeth Kurnat, Karen Rockett, Meredith Taylor Mollica, Jessica Palmisano, Cynthia Miller Spiegel

Alto Section Karen Archbold, Christina Collins, Margaret Fox, Kelly Grba, Valerie Heinkel-Bollero, Jennifer Hunt, Bridget Kancler, Chelsea King, Mary Kunstman, Rachel Miller, Julie Popplewell, Nicole Tolentino, Liz Hutchinson Toniolo, Sarah Underhill, Debby Wilder

Tenor Section Robert Campbell, Jonathan Cramer, Nick Falco, David Hunt, Aaron James, Christopher Jackson, Gregor King, Bryan Kunstman, Stephen Mollica, Bradley Staker, Tyler Theis, Steve Williamson

Bass Section Nate Coon, Chris DiMarco, Drayton Eggleson, Brandon Fox, David Hartley, Brian Jozwiak, Jess Koehn, Phil Nohl, Douglas Peters, Michael Popplewell, Antonio Quaranta, Michael Thoms, Andrew Toniolo, David Zemke

Collaborative Pianist Stephen Uhl

Founder and Music Director Jeffrey Hunt

Executive Director Kay Kendall

Work Sample

Trois Chanson, Claude Debussy
I. Diu! Qu’il la fait bon regarder! 1:53
II. Quant j’ai ouy le tambourin 1:45
Brian Jozwiack, Tenor
III Yver, vous n’estes qu’un villain 1:56
Karen Lukose, Soprano; Margaret Fox, Alto; Brian Joszwiack,
Tenor; Jens Hurty, Bass
The St. Charles Singers
Jeffrey Hunt, Music Director
from a compilation Victorian Flourish, April 27 and 28, 2019
Hudson Fair, Recordist

Let the River Run 2:29
Carly Simon, arranged by Craig Hella Johnson
performed by the St. Charles Singers

Missa in C (Coronation Mass) K. 317 2:42
Mozart Journey VI
St. Charles Singers, Jeff Hunt, Director
Metropolis Chamber Orchestra, Tom Yang, Concert Master
Recordest: Hudson Fair
Carelle Flores, Soprano; Jamie Van Eyck, Mezzo Soprano; Peder Reiff, Tenor; Gerard Sundberg, Bass

Release date:
9 March 2013

Cello Songs
Jake Runestad, composer. Todd Boss, poet.
Performed by St. Charles Singers. Jeff Hunt, conductor. Cameron Grimes, cello. Stephen Uhl, piano. October 3, 2021.
Video: Aphorism Studios Inc Recordist: Hudson Fair

Shenandoah arr. James Erb
Jeffrey Hunt, Music Director
The St. Charles Singers
American Reflections 20th and 21st Century Choral Music MSR Classics
With thanks to Henry Brandt, videography, Burch Seymour, editing, and Sarah Hoban, social media.

Unclouded Day
arranged by Shawn Kirchner
American Reflections 20th and 21st Century Choral Music MSR Classics
The St. Charles Singers Jeffrey Hunt, Founder and Music Director
With thanks to Henry Brandt, videography; Burch Seymour, editing, and Sarah Hoban, social media. Photography credits, Jay Cunningham, Margaret Fox, Aaron James, and Burch Seymour

Kyrie in C. K. 323 2:02
Mozart Journey XV
St. Charles Singers, Jeff Hunt, Founder and Director with
Metropolis Chamber Orchestra, Tom Yang, Concert Master
Recordist: Hudson Fair

St. Charles Singers is known for performing fine choral music, both a capella and accompanied works, composed over the centuries and in multiple genres. The music selected includes 18th, 19th and 20th century compositions, including a selection from the choir's ongoing Mozart Journey, a 12-year, 17-concert undertaking to perform and record the entire known oeuvre of W. A. Mozart's sacred choral works.

The choir performs with guest soloists, most often soprano soloist Michelle Areyzaga, a former member of the St. Charles Singers, but in recent years the choir has regularly relied on its own members as soloists. Ms. Areyzaga, other guests soloists and soloists who are members of the choir can be heard on these work samples.

History

The mission of St. Charles Singers is to perform, promote and preserve the finest choral music to inspire diverse audiences regionally, nationally and internationally.

Since its founding in 1984, St. Charles Singers remains defined by the choir’s passionate desire to perform with excellence for its listeners. Led by founder and director Jeffrey Hunt, the choir is composed of a cadre of 50 professionally trained musicians, of which 32 to 34 perform in each concert series. Traditionally members of the ensemble are called biennially to re-audition, bringing the influx of fresh new sounds that attribute to the remarkable blend of S, A, T, B harmony for which the choir receives acclaim. (Auditions are on hold during the COVID pandemic.) Many St. Charles Singers perform in other choruses, currently including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chorus, Grant Park Symphony Chorus, Bella Voce, Lyric Opera Chorus, Chicago A cappella, and Conspirare.

The choir’s home venue is Baker Memorial Church in St. Charles, IL. Other performance venues include, but are not limited to, Fourth Presbyterian Church and Old St. Patrick’s Church, Chicago; St. Mary Catholic Church, Elgin and St. Michael Catholic Church, Wheaton.

Artistic Vision

The artistic vision of the St. Charles Singers is to help others know, hear and love great choral music. To attain this vision the choir

• presents 3 to 4 performance projects per season. Ticket prices vary for adults and seniors, and are always priced at $10 for students of any age;
• commissions and premieres new works, most recently "Cello Songs" a composition in four movements by Grammy nominated, IL native Jake Runestad.
• retains two resident composers, Nathaniel Adams of St. Charles, IL who now works and resides in New York, NY, and Scott Stevenson of Geneva, IL.
• incorporates education and outreach into all programming. The choir is delighted when music we perform ignites that spark that converts a casual listener to a life-long fan of choral music.
• The choir’s discography includes our newly released CD, "Kaleidoscope" (self-produced), "American Reflections" and "Bushes and Briars" (MSR); Christmas in St. Charles and American Songs (Naxos), and I Know Where I’m Going (Proteus). The music can often be heard on 98.7WFMT and on satellite radio.
• The choir has toured internationally on several occasions, and will tour Portugal and Spain in June of 2023.

Programs for Specific Audience(s) Expertise

SCS is a professional choir committed to providing education and outreach. Outreach efforts include two of our favorite projects of summer, the annual hosting of the Sing! Workshop for Teens, and an "outside the classroom" College Conducting Lab Choir for music education majors at the undergraduate college level. Clinicians for these workshops are choral music teachers who are members of the choir, along with SCS founder and director Jeff Hunt, who leads the conducting master class. Upon request, Jeff and members of the choir will also consider presenting choral workshops at Chicago area high schools.

Outreach efforts for the choir's Mozart Journey include free to the public, open dress rehearsals, during which Maestro Hunt will address the audience if/when time permits, and pre-concert lectures led by Dr. Jonathan Saylor, Professor or Music at Wheaton College. Excepting the open dress rehearsals, these programs can be adapted for presentation.