For 40-years the Kalamazoo Children’s Chorus has been providing outstanding choral music to our community.

History

It started back in 1980, when local teacher Jeanne Frey, saw a need for choral education.  She filled that need by giving Kalamazoo-area children an opportunity to explore and develop choral music when she formed the Kalamazoo Children’s Chorus.

“At the time, there was not a choral program in Kalamazoo public schools that was meeting the needs of the kids who really wanted to explore challenging choral repertoire,” Artistic Director Fred Sang explained to the Kalamazoo Gazette in 2011.

Good friends with warm, friendly spring smiles!

Choir placement is based on many things, including the child’s interests, experience, vocal maturity and the needs of each individual choir so grade or age levels indicated for each choir below are really just a guide.

• Preparatory & Treble Choir – Entry level choir for 3rd and 6th grades.  This is a tuition-based choir rehearsing on the PCHUM Campus.  Tuition for the Preparatory Choir in 2021-2022 is $425.
• Bella Voce & Touring Choir – 6th through 12th grade advanced music in three-four parts and in foreign languages.  This is a tuition-based choir rehearsing on the PCHUM Campus.  Tuition for Bella Voce is $425 for the 2021-2022 Concert Season.
• Coro de Niños – is a free, after-school Spanish immersion choir for singers in grades 3-5 at El Sol Elementary School in Kalamazoo.  This choir was formed in January 2017. Due to KCC’s limitations from the COVID-19 pandemic, this choir is currently on hold.
• Eastside – KCC’s newest choir made its concert debut on December 8, 2013.  This neighborhood choir is for children, ages 8-12, living on Kalamazoo east side neighborhoods of Eastside, Eastwood, Comstock and Parchment.  This choir frequently performs with Coro de Niños. Due to KCC’s limitations from the COVID-19 pandemic, this choir is currently on hold.

Each year about 150 children, ages 8 to 18, learn and perform in an atmosphere of artistic excellence, and by so doing, enrich the artistic life of our community.

A musical and cultural experience

Preparing to sing outside Puccini’s birthplace in Lucca, Italy in 2013.

We’re always looking for new ways to expose our singers to new music. In 2018, KCC was thrilled to participate and perform in a short film by Kyle Misak, The Acorn.  We’ve sung with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, The Kalamazoo Singers and the Kalamazoo Oratorio Society. We’ve opened at Comerica Park for the Detroit Tigers, sung in several operas and perform in The Nutcracker Ballet ever two years with Ballet Arts Ensemble and the KSO.  A 2013 performance of Carmina Barana with KSO was received with outstanding reviews for the Chorus!

“The Kalamazoo Children’s Chorus… lending a befitting purity of tone. Their voices were delightful and accurate – kudos.”  C.J. Gianakans, Kalamazoo Gazette

Over the years we’ve shared the stage with:

• Numazu Boys and Girls Choir (Japan)
• Bloemfontein Children’s Choir (South Africa)
• St. Mary’s Children’s Chorus (Canada)
• The Young Peoples Chorus of New York City (America)

2016 Touring Choir in Jackson Square, New Orleans

Concert Tours

Since 1993, we’ve traveled the world.  From Japan to Ireland, London to Vienna.  We’ve sung with world-class chorus’ from around the world both at home and abroad.  In June 2013, the Touring Choir performed in Rome, Florence, Mezza Villa and at the Bacillica of St. Mark’s in Venice, Italy.

In June 2016 KCC’s Touring Choir traveled to the Crescent City Choral Festival in New Orleans, Louisiana where we sang at St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square with 10 other choirs from New Jersey to California and places in between!  It was magical!

Rehearsal Schedule

Our Tuesday weekly rehearsals run from September to April from 6:00pm-7:30pm.  We practice proper vocal techniques while singing through a wide variety of music from Broadway to Bach.  We provide a challenging musical environment for our choristers and a rich heritage of choral singing to the Kalamazoo-area.

Vision

At KCC, we believe that all children deserve access to high quality singing experiences and we are committed to promoting choral singing as a life-long activity.  We envision a future where choral singing is considered a vital part of the fabric of our community and where we provide a bridge to cultural understanding through music.