About Heart of Illinois Chorus

Heart of Illinois Chorus is a membership organization of female singers, who meet regularly to practice, perform, socialize, and have fun. We currently have over 50 singers of all ages, all walks of life, and from all parts of Central Illinois.

Performance

One purpose of Heart of Illinois Chorus is to provide entertainment and music education for our community. We have two annual shows at Illinois Central College in East Peoria. Our Fall show is typically in early November, and the Spring concert is in mid-May. We have recently sung at the Heart of Illinois Fair, for several local festivals, at mother-daughter banquets, at retirement homes, and at a Peoria Chiefs' game.  We are available to sing at your next function or event. If you're looking for a unique musical experience to liven up your event, please check out our Hire Us section.

Education

In addition to sharing our music with others, another great passion of ours is learning more about the art of a cappella singing...barbershop-style. Vocal instruction is a regular part of chorus rehearsals, and a very important component of the chorus experience. We also bring in talented vocal coaches to help us work toward our goal of musical excellence. Heart of Illinois members also have the opportunity to attend Regional and International Music Schools.

CompetitionIn the spring of every year, Heart of Illinois Chorus participates in the Midwest Gateway Region 5 chorus competition. Competitions are a special time for quartets and choruses from our region to come together to sing for each other, and get some constructive feedback from a panel of judges. The winners of the regional competition in both quartet and chorus categories get to travel to International Competition. The Heart of Illinois Chorus has competed at International Competition 4 times...the last time was 2007 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  In 2012, International Competition will be held in Denver. Click here to learn more.

Quartets

Most choruses have a number of members who form their own vocal quartets in addition to singing with the chorus. Heart of Illinois Chorus currently has several quartets, and small groups who perform for shows and concerts! Click here to see our quartet section to learn more about them.

Affiliation

Heart of Illinois Chorus is a chapter of Sweet Adelines, International, a non-profit organization of approximately 25,000 members in choruses and quartets, worldwide. The Headquarters is in Tulsa, Oklahoma.