Category Archives: Events

RiverChor Announces Dates for 18th Season

Mark these dates on your calendar!

Fall Concert
Sunday, November 13, 2:00pm
Zion Lutheran Church

Messiah
Sunday, December 18, 2:00pm
Zion Lutheran Church

Spring Concert
Sunday, April 30, 2:00pm
Zion Lutheran Church

The choir will begin rehearsals on Monday, September 12, 7-9pm. If you are interested in joining the choir, please use the Contact Form , and we’ll provide you with more information.

Messiah is open to anyone who would like to sing, this will be Year 2 of our 3 year cycle. We will perform the majority of Part 1 and selections from Parts 2 and 3 with piano. Rehearsals will begin in mid to late November; we will announce here, in the Clinton Herald, and to our Email List, you may subscribe in the sidebar —->

We look forward to singing with or for you this upcoming 2022-2023 season!

Join us for the Messiah Sing Along!

You are invited to join a long standing Clinton tradition, the 88th annual singing of the Messiah.  This year is the Sing-Along, which is an informal event.  If you’ve ever wanted to try to sing Handel’s work, or enjoy a unique opportunity to sit inside a choir, please join us on Sunday, December 1, at 3:00 pm at Zion Lutheran Church in Clinton, please enter via the East door to the sanctuary. 

You are welcome to bring your own copy of the score, or borrow one of ours.  We will sing all the choruses from Part 1, take a few requests for choruses from Parts II and III, then finish with Hallelujah.  The event is directed by Chris Marple, our pianist is Christine Holmer. 

The Messiah Sing-Along is free.  Come as you are, bring a friend or two, and plan to have a joyous time singing!

RiverChor anticipates 15th Season

The 2018-2019 season will mark RiverChor’s 15th year of singing for the Gateway area.  Concerts this year will be our fall concert on November 11th, and spring on April 7th.  Both of these will be at 2pm at Zion Lutheran Church in Clinton.  RiverChor will again take part in the annual “Messiah” performance on December 2nd, also at Zion.

If you would like to audition for RiverChor, you may do so Sunday, Sep. 9, 1-3 in the sanctuary at Zion.  Auditions take about 10 minutes, and there is no need to prepare anything in advance.  Regular rehearsals will commence on Monday, September 10.

Mark your calendars, and stay tuned for repertoire details about our fall concert!!

RiverChor Performs Haydn’s “Creation” with CSO and MCC on April 28

Don’t miss this treat!  RiverChor will be performing Haydn’s “The Creation” on April 28, at 7:30pm at Clinton High School’s Vernon Cook Theater.  The concert is in conjunction with the Clinton Symphony Orchestra, and the Muscatine Civic Chorale will join us, rounding the choir out to about 70.

In addition, we welcome special guest soloists, two of which are from the area; Alisa Magallon, graduate of Northeast High School, and Michael Jorgensen, graduate of Clinton High School.  The three soloists sparkle on the intricate passages presented by Haydn.

RiverChor is excited to present this oratorio in Clinton, we traveled to Muscatine earlier this month to perform the work with the Muscatine Symphony, and it was quite spectacular.  We expect it to be even better in Clinton!

Messiah Sing-a-Long on Sunday!

messiah2016

Be part of an 80+ year tradition in Clinton! Come on out to St. John’s and sing a long with us. No experience needed, music is provided, and all ages are welcome. Don’t sing, but want to listen? You are welcome, too!

RiverChor and Clinton Symphony Orchestra present Holiday Pops

Clinton Symphony with RiverChor

Looking for a way to get in the Christmas spirit?  Join us for an evening of music and carols!  We’ll get on the Polar Express, dance with the Sugarplum Fairies, enjoy a Sleigh Ride, and learn to ‘Let It Go’.

After intermission, RiverChor will join the Symphony to present the lighthearted Star Carol by John Rutter, followed by a Christmas on Broadway medley.  The concert will conclude with several “Messiah” choruses, and a hearty carol sing-a-long.

All students are admitted free, and the start time is a little earlier, so bring the whole family out to Vernon Cook Theater for a lovely evening on December 10th!

RiverChor’s Spring 2016 Concert

RiverChor is hard at work on our spring concert.  I’ll post more about that soon, however I wanted to get this date change out to you.  We had originally announced that the concert would be in April, however it will now be on Sunday, May 1, 2016, at Zion Lutheran Church in Clinton, Iowa.  Mark your calendars now and save the date!!

Messiah Rehearsals Begin….Join us!

Handel MessiahIt is time to prepare for a long time Clinton tradition, the annual performance of Handel’s Messiah.  Any community member who would like to sing is welcome, we have the musical score for you to borrow (or you are welcome to bring your own).  Rehearsals are from 7-8:30 pm on Monday evenings, in the Great Hall of First Presbyterian Church, 400 5th Ave South, Clinton, Iowa (enter in the alley/parking lot side, proceed to the top of the stairs).  The first rehearsal is Monday, November 2nd.  (Missed the first one?  It’s ok, come next Monday!)

This is the third year of the cycle, so we will be performing nearly the entire work with orchestra.  The performance will be on Sunday, December 6, at 2:00 pm.  Hope to see you at rehearsal, or the concert….it’s not Christmas without the Messiah!

RiverChor Rings in the Season

RiverChor will be participating in two upcoming performances.  The first will be our annual appearance with the Clinton Symphony Orchestra.  We will be performing the first set of the Alfred Burt Carols.  “These delightful carols are the result of a tradition begun by the Reverend Bates G. Burt, his composer son, Alfred, and friend-of-the-family Wihla Hutson; for many years these three collaborated on the creation of original carols, which were then sent to friends as Christmas cards.” (via Shawnee Press)

Additionally, the choir will be performing with the symphony on “A Christmas Festival” by Leroy Anderson; “Jesus bleibet meine Fruede” (Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring) by J.S. Bach; and concluding with choruses from Handel’s “Messiah”.  This performance will be at Clinton High School’s Vernon Cook Theater at 7:30 pm on December 14.  Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for students, children through the 8th grade are free.  Further details of the concert are available on the Clinton Symphony’s website: http://www.clintonsymphony.org/

The annual Clinton performance of Handel’s “Messiah” will take place on December 15th, at 3 pm at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 715 S. Third Street.  This is year one of the cycle, which is the Sing-a-long.  All are welcome to sing, or to listen.  Participants are welcome to bring their own score, however there will be scores available.  We hope you’ll join us for this tradition that began in 1931, and help ring in the season.