In 2010 Corona had been without a community choir for several years, and Angela Rosser decided it was time to start a new one. She founded the Circle City Chorale in January of that year. At the time, Ms. Rosser was the Music Director at Corona United Methodist Church, and her church choir made up about half of the original roster of 29 voices that performed the Chorale’s first concert in July 2010.
By fall, the word had spread, and the Chorale grew to 44 singers for the December concert.
Bylaws were written and officers were elected in 2011. At the December concert that year, the Circle City Singers made their debut. CCS is our smaller ensemble that takes on more challenging music and sometimes performs for community events when it’s not possible to have the entire Chorale.
In 2012 the Chorale officially became a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation, making it possible for our donors to take a tax deduction for their donations. That was also the year of our first summer “Broadway” show, featuring soloists and small groups performing music from stage and screen, which is now an annual tradition.
By 2013, a growth spurt increased the membership to more than 60 members.
The formation of a children’s choir was a goal from the beginning, and it became a reality in the fall of 2014. The Circle City Children’s Choir performs with us at our concerts, as well as performing on their own at youth-oriented events. As of 2019, there is also an Advanced Children’s Choir as well as Juniors, ages 5 through 8.
Another early goal was a European tour. That goal was realized in 2016 when we took 30 members on a week-long concert tour with stops in Prague, Vienna, and Budapest.
Although nearly all of our singers are amateurs and some had never sung in a choir before, we are now a community choir that Corona can be proud of, thanks to the guidance of our talented director, Angela Rosser!