- Wisconsin Cream City Chorus
Infobox musical artist
Name = Wisconsin Cream City Chorus
Landscape = Yes
Background = classical_ensemble
Alias = WCCC
Origin = flagicon|USAMilwaukee, Wisconsin ,United States
Instrument = 20-30 voices
Genre = Broadway, choral, classical,jazz, popular
Occupation =Choir
Years_active = 1987-present
Label =
URL = [http://www.creamcitychorus.org www.Creamcitychorus.org]
Current_members = Artistic Director and Conductor
Kristen L. Weber
Associate Director
Chuck Ellingson
"'The Wisconsin Cream City Chorus was founded on April 1, 1987 in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin . Originally formed as a chorus of gays, lesbians and their friends, the chorus now strives to celebrate the rich diversity of the community at large — not just the LGBT community — through the performance of quality choral music. People of all orientations, races and faiths are welcome to join and participate.tructure of the Chorus
A Board of Directors, including a
President , Vice President [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_president#Vice_presidents_in_business] , Treasurer [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasurer#In_other_organizations] and Secretary [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary] . It is a non-profit organization.There are two types of members. - Non-Singing members who support the organization through non-singing efforts such as stage management, publicity, fundraising and front of house. - Singing members who do perform with the group.
The Chorus is member-controlled. Every member, singing or non-singing has an equal vote.
Concerts
The WCCC produces two to four concerts annually. The WCCC strives to include ASL (American Sign Language) Interpreters at its concerts.
The 2008-2009 season begins with "One World: Dare To Dream" on Saturday, December 13th at 7:30pm. This is followed by "Whirled Music" to be held on April 18th at 7:30pm along with the annual silent auction. June 13th "It's A Small World, The Music of
Fred Small " with two performance times of 5:00pm and 7:30pm.In 2007 the Chorus gave a concert featuring the work, "Song of Wisdom from Old Turtle." it was presented in a multi-media format, with a narrator and large screen visual display.
On Saturday, April 12, 2008 the chorus presented, "Safe Harbor : Signs of Compassion. Taking a new direction in its presentation, the show utilized a 'choral orchestra' and through song, multi media and
acting portrayed historic scenes where compassion is front and center.The final concert of the 2007-2008 season was given as part of PrideFest [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PrideFest_%28Milwaukee%29] in Milwaukee, held on June 6th, 7th and 8th at the Henry Maier Festival Grounds. Milwaukee's
Summerfest is held there. The performance - PrideFest Musical, was the story of an intrepid group of friends from rural Wisconsin determined to enjoy the summer and find their true selves as they set out for the big city for their first PrideFest.Group Outreach
In keeping with its goal of bringing a message of diversity to the community, the chorus also lends vocal talents to several organizations including AIDS-related, faith-based, LGBT, and civic, including;
- Cross Lutheran Church
- Unitarian Universalist Church West [http://www.uucw.org/] - Unity West Church
- Milwaukee LGBT Community Center [http://www.mkelgbt.org/]
-Milwaukee PrideFest
- Camp Heartland
- The UAW M.L. King Jr. Celebration
- The Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting (Milwaukee)Non-Concert Performaces
Past performances have included: - Holiday Invitational Tournament
- Memorial Services
- Weddings and Commitment Ceremonies
and many others.Affiliated Groups
The Creamettes is an
ensemble of the chorus.Notable Back up Performance
In 1993, 1994 & 1995 the Chorus performed as backup chorus for
Barry Manilow ’s Greatest Hits tour when he performed in Milwaukee. Mr. Manilow is an honorary member of Wisconsin Cream City Chorus.ignature Song
"I Love Myself Just the Way I Am", A Song of Affirmation by Jai Josefs is the Chorus's signature song. It was dedicated to the chorus in 1987 and is performed at the last song at every concert performance. A recording of it may be heard on the Chorus website at
* [http://www.creamcitychorus.org/signature_song.asp/ Signature Song]Membership
Members are required to pay dues. New members start at a probationary level and then are invited membership, followed by Tenured Member, which is full voting membership. No person will ever be turned away due to an inability to pay dues.
Corporate Name
The Chorus is Incorporated with the State of Wisconsin as "The Wisconsin Cream City Chorus, Ltd." as a non-profit organizations.
Name Explanation
Cream City is a nickname given to Milwaukee because of a brick manufactuing company that produced a light colored brick. While the official name is Wisconsin Cream City Chorus, it is common to refer to the group as Cream City Chorus, or Milwaukee Cream City Chorus.
Directors
Kristen L. Weber, Artistic Director
Chuck Ellingson, Associate Director
External links
* [http://www.creamcitychorus.org/ Wisconsin Cream City Chorus Official Site]
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