The Chorale

On January 15, 1994 a group of diverse community members were brought together by Jeff Harris
with the hope of realizing his dream of forming a premier community choir in the Phoenix
Metropolitan area. That day they founded the Sonoran Desert Chorale. The energy and excitement of
the people at the meeting made it possible to complete all the technical groundwork, incorporation,
fundraising, budget and auditions within the first 6 months. Their hard work and dedication came to
fruition on October 29, 1994 with our inaugural concert.

The Chorale has continued to evolve from that first emotional and satisfying concert to a highly
regarded and artistically sophisticated choral organization. Our audiences have experienced
traditions spanning time from the ancient folk music of Mongolia to the premier of modern
compositions such as Prelude to Glory by Russell Wilson. The Chorale performs a repertoire meant to
demonstrate that music is a language which transcends our differences and accentuates our
commonality.

An important part of this artistic message is that one art form enhances another. Audiences have
enjoyed our presentations of indigenous musicians representing all the continents of the world, as well
as native dancers, storytellers, poets, graphic artists, jewelers and quilters. Our concerts have included
guest performances by the Phoenix Children’s Chorus, the Southwest Brass, the Mesa Caledonian
Pipe Band, and the Four Seasons Symphony, to name just a few.

The Chorale has been invited to perform in concert with professional musicians such as composer and
performer Kurt Bestor and most recently with Broadway star Michael Crawford at the inaugural
concert of the Mesa Arts Center. We have also performed by invitation at the Western Division
Conference of the American Choral Directors Association and the National Convention of the
American Music Educators Association.

In 2007 the Chorale made their third European concert tour. Past tours have included
performances at St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy, Salzburg Cathedral in Salzburg, Austria and St.
Vitas Cathedral in Prague, Czech Republic.

The Chorale Board of Directors, singing members and dedicated volunteers look to the future with
excitement. We hope you will join our ever-widening audience and share with us many meaningful
music experiences.