Bel Canto Chorus

Founded in 1931, Bel Canto Chorus is Southeastern Wisconsin's oldest continuously performing Arts organization! Biography The Bel Canto Chorus is made up of mostly volunteer singers from cities and towns throughout southeastern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois. While some of the members of Bel Canto are professional musicians, most come from a variety of other professions - they are educators, accountants, doctors, lawyers, business leaders, full-time homemakers, etc. They share a talent for singing and enjoy participating in Bel Canto because of their love of music-making, the camaraderie of the group, and the leadership of Bel Canto's Music Director, Richard Hynson. They are drawn to Bel Canto by the excellence and artistry of Hynson's conducting, the quality of the music-making, and the opportunity to perform a repertoire that is both familiar and new to them. Singers are expected to attend one evening rehearsal per week, from late August through early May, with additional rehearsal requirements immediately prior to concert performances. Our main rehearsal site is at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, and regular rehearsals occur on Wednesday evenings. The Chorus regularly performs with an orchestra, as well as a cappella and with a few instrumental accompanists. Their repertoire includes the great choral and orchestral masterworks such as Brahms's Requiem and Mendelssohn's Elijah, as well as new and lesser-known works like Carl Orff's Catulli Carmina and Frank Ferko's Stabat Mater.