The Galesburg Community Chorus will begin rehearsals for its 2026-27 season on Monday, August 24 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 101 N. Prairie St., in Galesburg. Subsequent rehearsals will take place on Mondays from 7:00-9:00 p.m. All are welcome to join, and no audition is necessary. Dues are $20 per semester; students are not required to pay dues.
For its fall concert, the Chorus will perform Considering Matthew Shepard, by Craig Hella Johnson, on Saturday, November 21 at 7:30pm at First Presbyterian Church. Matthew Shepard was a 21-year-old gay student who was murdered in a hate crime in 1998. This work, composed in 2016, is a powerful and moving exploration of what happened. There are narrations, texts from Matthew’s journal and from writings by his parents as well as by various poets, and a wide array of musical styles, from classical to country to pop and musical theatre to blues. It not only explores the tragedy but is about connection and humanity and ultimately hope.
Other concerts of the season include a performance by OneVoice, the top vocal jazz group at Millikin University, on Tuesday, March 23, and a spring concert combined with the Monmouth College Chorale on Saturday, May 1 that will feature Dan Forrest’s Jubilate Deo.
Sponsors of this season’s concerts include Blick Art Materials, Prairieland Hospice, United Way of West Central Illinois, and traditionally OSF Healthcare, the Galesburg Community Foundation, and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
The Galesburg Community Chorus, directed by Dr. Tim Pahel, is the oldest community music organization in the Galesburg area and is currently in its 81st year.
***Courtesy of the Galesburg Community Chorus***
