About Us
Board of Directors
Marcia Gidding, Publicity
Kurt Hirchert, Treasurer
Kate Stout, President
Joanne Vician, Librarian/Communications Director
Susan Wyatt, Secretary
Julie Beyler
The founding director of The CHORALE.
History of The CHORALE
We started in 1982 as The Mahomet Village Chorale with our founding director Julie Beyler. Several years later we were joined by the Carle Chorale and became simply The CHORALE. We have sponsored Festival Weekends with noted composers Alice Parker and Rene Clausen as well as eight occasions with Dr. Craig Jessop, the former director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The CHORALE performed New Year’s concerts at the Virginia for 25 years and performed with Dr. Craig Jessop at 4th of July celebrations in Utah and at Carnegie Hall. We have toured Italy, Central Europe and Spain and toured Scotland and Ireland with renowned Scottish folk singer story teller Jean Redpath. Other notables we performed with are – William Warfield, Dan Perrino and Medicare 7, 8 or 9, Ian Hobson, Rocky Maffet and Ollie Watts Davis.
Our founding director sadly passed in 2021, and we were forced to go dormant due to COVID. We have regrouped under the direction of the exceptionally talented Simon Tiffin. Gathering about 25 members of The CHORALE along with 25 new members, we put together a Summer concert , Renewal, on August 27, 2023 for a full house at Faith United Methodist Church in Champaign to a rousing standing ovation!