In 2010, Corona, California had been without a community choir for several years. Angela Rosser decided it was time to start a new one. She founded the Circle City Chorale (C3) in January of that year. At the time, Mrs. Rosser was the Music Director at Corona United Methodist Church and her church choir made up about half of the original C3 roster of 29 voices. The choir performed its first concert in July 2010. By the Fall of 2010, word of the new community choir in Corona, CA had spread. C3 grew to 44 singers by their December 2010 concert.
In 2011, bylaws were written and officers were elected. At the December 2011 concert, the Circle City Singers (CCS) made their debut. CCS is a smaller ensemble consisting of main choir members. The small ensemble takes on more challenging music and sometimes performs for community events when it’s not possible to have the entire chorale present.
In 2012, Circle City 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” choir concert. C3’s Broadway concert features soloists and small groups performing music from stage and screen. It is now an annual event.
In 2013, rapid growth increased the membership to more than 60 members.
In 2014, the Circle City Children’s Choir (C4) was founded. The formation of a children’s choir was a goal from the beginning. It became a reality in the Fall of 2014. The children’s choir performs with C3 at Winter and Spring concerts, as well as on their own at youth-oriented events. As of 2019, there is also an Advanced Children’s Choir requiring a higher level of proficiency and a Juniors children’s choir for ages 5 through 8.
In 2016, Circle City Chorale went on a performance tour in Europe. A European tour had been another early goal for the choir. That goal was realized in 2016 when C3 took 30 members on a week-long concert tour with stops in Prague, Vienna, and Budapest.
In 2020, in response to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, C3 performed their next few annual Broadway, Winter, and Spring concerts virtually. Rehearsals were held remotely via Zoom meetings. Members would record their parts onto audio and video files. Next, individual voices and accompaniment were expertly edited together into one virtual production. These virtual productions were live-streamed through our Facebook page for our followers, friends, and family on scheduled performance dates.
In 2021, Circle City Chorale returned to in-person singing with safety precautions in place. In December of 2021, C3 held its first live, in-person concert in almost two years! Since the end of the public health emergency, the choir has dropped previous restrictions.
Today, C3 has picked up where it left off and has continued to grow in both size and talent!