SRC Community Chorus

"...the arts have been an inseparable part of the human journey; indeed, we depend on the arts to carry us toward the fullness of our humanity. We value them for themselves, and because we do, we believe knowing and practicing them is fundamental to the healthy development of our children's minds and spirits. That is why, in any civilization - ours included - the arts are inseparable from the very meaning of the term 'education.' We know from long experience that no one can claim to be truly educated who lacks basic knowledge and skills in the arts."

-National Standards for Arts Education

The SRC Community Chorus was formed in 2005 by Carol Davis, then-SRC's Dean of Community and Workforce Education, to (1) provide quality entertainment within the Spoon River College District; (2) provide an avenue for local talents to perform; and (3) raise funds to support the SRC Foundation's scholarship program and performing arts/equipment at SRC. A generous grant from the Community Foundation of Central Illinois assisted in the group's establishment.

Entering its 15^th season in December 2019, the Chorus membership has grown to over 200 students, community members, SRC faculty and staff, and friends of the college. These members serve as musicians, technicians, singers, actors, visual artists, and dancers. Because we believe that the performing arts should be open to anyone with a love of performance, auditions to participate are not required and a spot is found for anyone who desires to take part.

Annual performances include revues, plays, concerts, and musicals. Depending on the type of offerings, performance venues may be the SRC Theatre on the Canton Campus in Taylor Hall, local dinner theatre venues, district church sanctuaries, or open air facilities.

The SRC Community Chorus, operating under the auspices of the SRC Foundation, has established six $10,000 named endowed scholarships which are awarded in perpetuity. The scholarships recognize former Chorus members and include the Harley L. Davis Memorial Scholarship, the Tom Greenwell Memorial Scholarship, the Marge Saville Memorial Scholarship, the Roger Howerter Memorial Scholarship, the Gail A. Mathis Memorial Scholarship, and the Vicki Murphy Memorial Scholarship. The chorus is currently funding the David L. Bishop Memorial Scholarship.

Membership/participation is open to anyone with a love of performance. Contact Carol Davis at carol.davis@src.edu or cdavis.tenacious@gmail.com; or Colin Davis, SRC Foundation Director, at colin.davis@src.edu or (309) 649-6395.

Current Season:

Following a very successful 2018-19 season, we are pleased to announce our 2019-20 performance schedule:

Frosty Airs and Fables (December 7 and 8, 2019, 7 p.m., First Christian Church, Canton)

A wide variety of engaging, winter holiday music, including a dramatic musical performance of "Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus."
We welcome all to be part of our winter concert; no auditions are required.
Contact Carol Davis (carol.davis@src.edu or cdavis.tenacious@gmail.com) for rehearsal schedule and more information.

Burl Ives, Midwestern Minstrel with Barry Cloyd (February 9, 2020, 3 p.m., SRC Theater)

Join internationally-known and award-winning singer/songwriter/musician Barry Cloyd and friends in remembering the late, great Burl Ives, musician, actor, and legendary snowman in the iconic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Check out Barry on Facebook!

From Broadway to L.A. (June 5-6, 2020, 7 p.m., June 7, 2020, 3 p.m., SRC Theater)

A fast-paced musical revue, featuring some of Broadway's and Hollywood's best numbers.
The show will include short scenes from Broadway musicals and Hollywood movies, and the songs that follow them.
Featured will be a tribute to the genius of Walt Disney Productions.

Current News:

Barry Cloyd to Present Burl Ives: Midwestern Minstrel

Barry Cloyd

Award-winning singer/songwriter/musician Barry Cloyd is back by popular demand as a part of the 2019-2020 SRC Community Chorus season. On Sunday, February 9, Barry presents the engaging, original show Burl Ives, Midwestern Minstrel in the SRC Theatre on the Canton campus. Show time is 3:00 p.m. Tickets may be purchased by calling 649-6260.

Burl Ives was and is an iconic figure in the annals of American Folk Music getting his start in the farms and fields near the small towns of Hunt City and Newton in Southern Illinois. Generations know him as the singing snowman in the beloved television special Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

In this original program created by Barry Cloyd, Ives' incredible life will play out as audiences discover the back story of this fascinating person and hear many of Burl Ives' most popular folk songs.

In the 1930s he was an official hobo, traveling the country in boxcars. A fixture of the nascent folk scene throughout the 1940s to 1960s in New York City, Ives also went on to become an internationally recognized star in film. He won an Oscar for his role in Big Country and starred in many other films.

While Burl Ives became one of the world's best-known folk singers, he never lost his hometown, folksy touch. He recorded nearly 100 albums in his career and was called America's Great Ballad Singer by Illinois Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Carl Sandburg.

Barry Cloyd is a Midwestern-based, full-time touring singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist who performs more than 125 various shows per year. In addition to his energetic concert schedule, Barry has been the resident stringed instrumentalist/vocalist on The Spirit of Peoria Paddlewheel Riverboat for the last 18 years. Barry is also a recording artist with 10 CDs to his credit and his all original Southland won the award for best Americana album in 2016, resulting in his tracks Spirit Dance and Know This River being placed on radio stations in more than 45 countries worldwide. He has shared the stage and recorded with many stars of the Blues and Americana music worlds including band members of Buddy Guy's Band, The Byrds, Stephen Stills, Emmylou Harris, The Oak Ridge Boys, John Denver and Dan Fogelberg. Barry has also created and toured dozens of edu-tainment programs which focus on history through music.

"We are pleased to present the multi-talented Barry Cloyd again this year," said Carol Davis, Artistic Director. "The SRC Community Chorus tradition of providing quality entertainment and establishing SRC scholarships continues as we celebrate our upcoming 15^th anniversary season."

The final production of the SRC Community Chorus 2019-2020 season will be an original musical revue conceived by Carol Davis, Tony Roberts, and Chad Murphy. From Broadway to L.A. will be presented June 5-7. Visit www.src.edu/foundation and click on the Community Chorus link, Like us on Facebook, or contact Carol Davis by emailing cdavis.tenacious@gmail.com.