Kalamazoo Choral Arts

As we celebrated our 75th anniversary in 2022, the Bach Festival Society has prepared to enter a new era—in a world very much changed by developments global and local. As we have considered our musical identity, the Bach Festival staff and board of directors have reached a clear conclusion: this identity has evolved significantly since our founding. In every meaningful way, we are no longer a Bach Festival Society. To be specific:

• While the work of J. S. Bach will always continue to appear in our repertoire, it is not our focus—and hasn’t been for over two decades. We have featured composers from every century in the modern era, representing diverse traditions and cultures. 

• We no longer sponsor a festival, but instead offer concerts throughout the year, often in tandem with other musical organizations.

• We are in no sense a “society”—that is, a coterie of subscribers to a common musical project—but rather an organization with wide appeal to a diverse audience. 

Looking at how we have developed as an organization, we saw clearly that the answer lies in our role in the rich musical landscape of Kalamazoo. We have a century-old orchestra providing fine symphonic music and an international festival devoted to the world of the piano; it is the music of the human voice that provides our reason for being and our contribution to local musical life. We do this through our own concerts, but also through visiting artists, outreach to young singers, and collaborations with other groups.

Consequently, to launch our next 75 years, we are now Kalamazoo Choral Arts (KCA). The board of directors has defined a new mission for the organization: “to create, enrich, and transform community through singing.” This mission embodies three important values that drive our work:  

• a clearer identity,

• openness to an expanded repertoire and diverse audiences, and 

• a core belief in the power of singing to bring people together.

The KCA CHORUS is the core of Kalamazoo Choral Arts with a membership of over 65 singers who share a love of great music.  The Chorus employs five lead singers who also serve as KCA soloists. The rest of the Chorus is made up of volunteers who come from the entire Southwest Michigan area.  Many members of the Chorus maintain active schedules as soloists in churches and other venues throughout the community.  Others are simply brought to the Chorus by their love of music.  The choir performs three concerts annually: the holiday concert in December, a Winter concert featuring songs about the power of love, and the Spring concert.  The KCA Chorus has performed major choral works of J.S. Bach and composers indebted to his legacy, from Mendelssohn, Mozart, Brahms, and Haydn, to more modern composers such as Rachmaninoff and Bernstein.  The Chorus has collaborated with the Arcato Chamber Ensemble and the Kalamazoo Philharmonia under Maestro Andrew Koehler, and the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra under Maestros Yoshimi Takeda and Raymond Harvey, to present works by Handel, Shostakovich, Brahms, Mozart, Orff, and Praulins.

In addition to the KCA Chorus, Kalamazoo Choral Arts provides educational opportunities in vocal arts to local students, through a High School Choral Festival and High School Vocal Competition.