We are excited to announce that we will honor former Chorale co-founder and conductor, Howard Rizner, at our March 9, 2019, performance of Dan Forrest's Requiem for the Living. This will be an inaugural performance of the Rizner Concert Series. Rizner co-founded the Hillsdale Arts Chorale in 1973, and served as conductor until 2008. His legacy includes not only the Hillsdale Arts Chorale, but also generations of students whom he impacted through his service in public education. In the spirit of recognizing both his gifts as a community member and teacher, we will invite high school musicians to join us in performing this stunning work.

This concert will be a labor of love, but will also require financial support to make it happen. After compiling a list of needs for this concert, we are predicting the cost of this concert will be near $4,000. The concert needs are are follows... director's score, rehearsal tracks, instrumental parts rental, 60 copies, instrumentalists, flute, oboe, horn, percussion, harp, violin, cello, and organist. 

If you feel compelled to donate to help make this concert happen, please click the Rizner donation form button below. Simply print the form and send your donation to P.O. Box 215, Jonesville, MI 49250. We greatly appreciate your generosity. Along with your donation, you and/or business will be listed as a sponsor in our March concert program.

Thank you for continuing to support the Hillsdale Arts Chorale!

The Hillsdale Arts Chorale continues its 45th season with Love, Loss, and Renewal, on Saturday, March 3, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Hillsdale at 7 PM.
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“We are really looking forward to showcasing some awesome music for this concert,” said Conductor, Clelyn Chapin. “In fact, it’s some of the most beautiful material we have performed this year.”

These three topics - love, loss, and renewal, have inspired centuries worth of music. Brahms, Whitacre, and Billy Joel will be performed to highlight these topics.

“The program will feature the cycles of love - from the first moments of exhilaration and butterflies to the sadder parts, like breakups,” said Chapin. “The music will also focus on finding peace in ourselves and renewal through that whole process. Imagery of nature - breakdown and renewal – of the seasons will also be highlighted.”

Two violinists from Michigan State University will perform with the choir for several tunes. Some arias will also be performed by Cindy Merrit and Ben Judson.

Tickets are $10 at the door. Under 18 are free with an adult. A light reception will follow the concert.

The Arts Chorale closes season 45 on Saturday, May 5, with Jazz and Java. That concert will also be held at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church – in the gymnasium – at 7 PM.

For more information regarding the Hillsdale Arts Chorale, please visit www.hillsdaleartschorale.com.

Susan Mills of Jonesville joined the Hillsdale Arts Chorale in 2012. On Friday, May 12, 2017, Susan passed away. The Hillsdale Arts Chorale is pleased to honor Susan at their upcoming concert by performing Haydn's Little Organ Mass.

"We are extremely grateful for the memorial contributions that have underwritten the cost of this special music," said Executive Director, Greg Bailey. "It doesn't take long for The Hillsdale Arts Chorale to become a 'second family' for the singers, and so it is fitting to honor a family member who has been lost by sharing the gift of music."

Susan graduated from Hillsdale High School in 1959 where she was a proud member of Howard Rizner Hillsdale High School Choir. She received her bachelor's in education fro​m Michigan State University in 1978 and she taught elementary school for many years, later retiring as a first grade teacher.

"The choir is really looking forward to our concert honoring Susan Mills," said Clelyn Chapin, Chorale Conductor. "She was a friend to many and a big supporter of the ensemble, so we wanted to do something that would appropriately reflect the contributions she made. We hope to bring joy to our audience, and especially to Susan's loved ones."

Top notch musicians are coming in to perform Haydn's Little Organ Mass, and will feature Cindy Merritt on the soprano solo. The rest of the performance will include holiday favorites and even some pop numbers. 

The Chorale's second concert of the season, Cocoa & Carols, will take place on Saturday, December 16, 2017, at 7 PM at Saint Paul's Lutheran Church - 2551 West Bacon Road in Hillsdale. Tickets will be available at the door for $10 per person. Children under 18 are free with an adult.

On Saturday, November 4, 2017, the Chorale opened its 45th season at St. Paul's Lutheran Church with new Conductor, Clelyn Chapin. Journeys featured traditional and contemporary classics. Soloists shared their own stories through popular songs and folk melodies. 

The program was broken into four different segments; imagining, preparing, traveling, and arrival. "Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal" opened the concert with solos by Don Sanderson and Heather Scharer. Imagining also featured "The Pasture" and "Esta Tierra". 

Preparing featured "If I got My Ticket Can I ride", with soloist Adam DeBacker, "Follow the Drunken Gourd" with soloists Heather Scharer and Anne Schmitt. "Walk in Jerusalem" was performed followed by a reading by Ned Wyse of Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken. "The Vagabond" was performed by Adam DeBacker, and Cindy Merritt performed "Poor Wandering One". Preparing ended with "Poor Wayfaring Stranger" with solos by Laura Leutheuser, Anne Schmitt, and Chloe Tritchka-Stutchell.

Traveling featured "The Boy Who Picked Up His Feet to Fly" by Joshua Shank followed Ian DeBacker's reading his very own poem, Moonboy. "That Lonesome Road" was performed, followed by "The Road Home" with soloist Ellie Tucker. Brietta Allen, Heather Scharer, and Makayla Eppel closed Traveling with "Long Time Trav'ler".

Arrival opened with a traditional African Folk Song, "Ndiyende Njirayi". Michael Blanchard performed "Traveler/Country Roads". "Unclouded Day" was performed with soloist Chloe Tritchka-Stuchell. "Let the River Run" ended the program.

The Chorale performs their anticipated Christmas program, Cocoa & Carols, December 16, 2017, at 7 PM, at St. Paul's Lutheran Church - 2551 W. Bacon Rd. in Hillsdale. Tickets are $10 at the door. Under 18 free with an adult. Season tickets are still available for $30 or $25 ages 60+.

Clelyn Brown of Broomfield, Colorado, and a new Michigan State University doctoral candidate, has been named the new Conductor for the Hillsdale Arts Chorale.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Clelyn to the community as the new Conductor of the Hillsdale Arts Chorale,” said Executive Director, Greg Bailey. “Our previous experience of hiring a university doctoral student went very well, and we are certain that Clelyn will continue that trend.  Her enthusiasm, love of chorale music, and extensive knowledge of vocal technique are exactly the characteristics that we were looking for in our search.”

Brown, who has nine years of conducting experience, will begin conducting for the Arts Chorale this coming season.

“I am excited to start my collaboration with the Hillsdale Arts Chorale. There's a long-standing expectation of excellence that's especially impressive for an ensemble in a small community, so I feel lucky to work these singers while I pursue my PhD at Michigan State University,” said Brown. “I expect that we will continue along the same path of musical quality while tapping into the hopes and abilities of what individual singers can contribute to the group both musically and from an organizational perspective.”

Brown believes her skill set is suited to continue the traditions of the Arts Chorale in a manner that honors past successes, while expanding future opportunities.

“I am an outsider to the community, which gives me the perspective to appreciate the legacy of the group more, not less,” said Brown. “I understand just how much value the Hillsdale Arts Chorale must bring to the lives of its citizens in the area and how rare a group such as this is. My belief is that groups run the best when the individuals within them feel value and purpose, and we will be looking for further ways to engage our membership with that principle in mind.”

Brown received her degrees from Oklahoma Christian University, Colorado State University, and the University of Northern Colorado.
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The Arts Chorale kicks off their 45th season on Saturday, November 4, at 7 PM at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church in Hillsdale.

We ended our 44th season on Saturday, April 22, at Saint Paul's Lutheran Church, with Some Enchanted Evening. We celebrated the end of season 44, and the end of an amazing three years with our former Conductor, Andrea VanDeusen.  

The performance started with "It's A Grand Night For Singing" followed by Rodgers and Hammerstein's, "It Might As Well Be Spring", performed by Brietta Allen.

The men of the chorale performed "There is Nothin' Like A Dame" (you can watch the performance on our Facebook page!), followed by Rodgers and Hammerstein's, "I'm gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair", performed by Anne Schmitt. "Some Enchanted Evening", "Oklahoma!", and "Getting To Know You" followed. Several chorale members pictured below performed solos, duets, and quartets from well known musicals. 

The evening wrapped up with "The Sound of Music" and "You'll Never Walk Alone". As the performance came to a close, the chorale honored Andrea VanDeusen's time, leadership, and dedication to the chorale. 

Andrea is “home grown” - - - born in Hillsdale County. She sang for the Arts Chorale founder, Howard Rizner, in the Youth Chorale and also former Conductor, David Boswell, at Hillsdale High School. She's obtained two degrees from two universities, traveled the world, and is now a Doctor! It has truly been a blessing to have Andrea here with us the last three years, and she will be missed.

She recently accepted a position at East Carolina University as Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education. Located in Greenville, North Carolina, the East Carolina University boasts an enrollment of over 29,000 students and more than 5,800 faculty (over 5,801 now)! Their mission is “to be a national model for student success, public service and regional transformation” which includes “improving quality of life through cultural enrichment, academics, the arts, and athletics. The Chorale would like to wish Dr. Andrea VanDeusen all the best as she works with her colleagues to achieve this mission.

Season 45 is upon us! New things are coming our (and your) way! Enjoy this beautiful season, and we will see you in the fall!

"The Best of Rooms" by Randall Thompson was performed followed by "Lay Me Low" by Kevin Siegfried. "Lay Me Low" comes from a set of shaker songs and reflects the American shaker music tradition. "Travelin' Home", an arrangement of two sacred heart tunes, by Andrea Ramsey, was performed with solos by Don Sanderson and Becky Mielke. Heather Scharer had a solo in "No Time", a traditional camp song, by Susan Brumfield, and a trio was sung by Chloe Tritchka-Stuchell, Ellie Tucker, and Laura Leutheuser in "Lord, Give Me Just a Little More Time" by Derrick Fox - an African American gospel spiritual tradition song. The concert closed with "Gaelic Blessing" by John Rutter, and "The Lord Bless You and Keep You" by Peter Lutkin. 

The last performance of season 44, Some Enchanted Evening, will be held on Saturday, April 22, at 7 PM at Saint Paul's Lutheran Church in Hillsdale. This will be a fun, entertaining evening of Broadway musical favorites from well-known Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals such as Oklahoma, Sound of Music, and South Pacific. Tickets will be available at the door for $10 per person. Under 18 free with an adult.

Our current Conductor, Andrea VanDeusen, is leaving us at the end of the 2016-17 season! Andrea is completing the third year of her doctorate at Michigan State University, and is looking into teaching opportunities at various universities across the country!

With that said, we are now accepting applications for Conductor! For a more detailed job description, please contact us at [email protected].