Chorus History

The Heart of Illinois Chorus, chartered on January 13, 1982, is an organization of women who like to sing women’s four-part harmony and have fun! We are one of 700 choruses of Sweet Adelines International, a worldwide non-profit organization dedicated to women’s a cappella four-part harmony arranged in a the barbershop style. As a member of Midwest Gateway Region 5, the Hearts have been regional champions four times. This made us eligible to compete on the International stage in Salt Lake City, UT (1990), Indianapolis, IN (1993), Phoenix, AZ (2003) and Calgary, Alberta, Canada (2007).  

The Hearts have also traveled and performed in Austria and the Buckeye Invitational in Columbus, OH as well as many events in the Peoria—Bloomington area. This year, we have performed at the Heart of Illinois Fair as well as several other festivals in the area, sung the national anthem at a Chiefs’ game, and performed at the Women’s Lifestyle Show.

To earn money to support our musical activities, the Hearts have worked at the Tazewell Festival Center every Friday night for 12 years. We sell raffle games, provide other customer-service duties and have been known to break into song occasionally. We even sang at a wedding which was held at the Festival Center. 

The founding director of the Heart of Illinois Chorus was Helen Peters, who was a member of the Jr. Misses—an International Championship Quartet. Helen had previously directed the Belles of Harmony chorus in Peoria. 

Our current Director, Gena Sommer, has been a member of Sweet Adelines for about 30 years, and has been in quartets most of the time, winning regional and competing at the International level six times. She also previously directed the Springfield chorus. Gena began directing the Hearts in 2004. 

The Heart of Illinois Chorus has been the Chorus-in-Residence at Illinois Central College for many years, and we perform two major concerts annually. One show is typically the first Saturday in November. The second concert is presented in May… during the ICC Arts Week Festival. Students can also enroll in a 1-hr music class and attend our rehearsals each semester. It is a great way to enhance singing ability, and learn the joy of performing! In addition to preparing for our annual shows and performances, the Hearts also participate in Regional Competition each spring. This is a good way to work toward our goal of musical excellence, and receive feedback about our progress from the Judging Panel. We also learn from watching other choruses and quartets perform in competition. 

Currently, the Hearts have about 60 active, singing members. We have members of all ages, some as young as 14 yrs old, who find the Heart of Illinois Chorus a wonderful extension of their lives and families. Look closely and find the mother & daughters and sets of sisters on the risers. The music brings us together from all walks of life and the harmony of barbershop weaves us together like the chords we sing.