Our History
How it All Began:
The Ingersoll Sacred Choral Society was formed in January 1990 by Daniel Durksen, Director of Music/Organist at First Baptist Church, Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada and by Ted Winter, then the Director of Music/Organist at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in the same community. Initially, the choir's practice hall and performances were also at Sacred Heart.
The original purpose of the Choral Society was to provide a greater musical challenge than was generally available to choristers in Ingersoll, in the County of Oxford
Initially the members of the Choral Society came from various Church choirs here in Ingersoll but we are now 50 members strong, hailing from a forty mile radius of Ingersoll (from London to Kitchener). We are truly an ecumenical group.
Our Changing Identity:
In 1996 we applied for and became registered as a Charitable Organization in order to fund raise and continue to provide free concerts to our community.
In the fall of 1997 the word "SACRED" was removed from our name and we became the Ingersoll Choral Society. This decision was made because we are now pursuing a more diversified musical repertoire involving secular as well as sacred music.
Since the beginning of 2001, we are proud to now be associated with St. James Anglican Church, at the Corner of Francis and Oxford St., Ingersoll, where Ted is the Music Director.
Our Shows:
The Ingersoll Choral Society performs three distinctly different shows per year.
With our diversified musical repertoire involving secular as well as sacred music, we quickly moved from being a"one performance at Easter" choir into several performances in other types of shows and venues.
Broadway Revues
In November 1995, we opened this show at the Ingersoll Theatre of the Performing Arts. Initially meant as a fundraiser for the orchestral accompaniment at the Good Friday cantata, we did three shows that first year. Since then, the popularity of this offering has extended the show into a five show affair from Wednesday to Saturday. Staging went from a simply themed, two costume, "take your music, stand-and-sing" performances show into very complex, multiple costume change, "memorize, sing, move and dance" spectacles.
Dinner Theatres
We introduced this show in 2003. It is an informal cabaret-like show in a more intimate setting than our Broadway Revue. It quickly became so popular that the 2006 show sold out in one week! The dinner is a five course meal prepared by "A Catered Affair" (Catherine VanDyke of the Clog & Thistle, Ingersoll). In between each course, the choir performs various pieces from their repertoire, together as one, or in solos and small groups.
Good Friday
When the Ingersoll (Sacred) Choral Society began, the sacred choral works performed on Good Friday were the only yearly performances until 1995. Even though we have changed our yearly musical offerings and our name, this is the one to which we remain true. It is our original reason for existing.
Initially, all of our Good Friday performances were in Sacred Heart Church, Ingersoll. From 1990 - 1992 the choir was accompanied by the organ alone. All subsequent performances have involved an orchestra as well as the organ. The musicians for our orchestral accompaniment come from Orchestra London (Ontario) and from the surrounding communities. Like our choir members, many of them have also returned year after year to help us. We have moved to St. James Church, Ingersoll.
Other than 1993 when a tragic event in Ted's life cancelled the performance, we have offered our voices every year to the songs, emotions and touching spirituality of the Passion Week.
Some of the best music lives forever, and we've performed some works several times. They never lose their power.
Other Venues
We do charitable visits to nursing homes and occasionally sing at other venues, such as the Canterbury Folk Festival in Ingersoll and The Sanderson Centre in Brantford. We would be happy to entertain the possibility of performing for your organization.