The concept of the Southern Tier Christian Choir developed when a group of friends desired to make choral music together. There are many in our local church communities who love using their voices and musical talents in a choir. As church choir programs have declined, so have the natural opportunities to enjoy singing together.
A luxury of our choir is the ability to have weeks to rehearse and prepare for our concerts. During the rehearsals we can develop not only musical skills, but friendships and community with fellow singers.
In the summer of 2017, we organized a hymn sing to gauge interest in forming a Christian community choir. The response was very positive and that September we began rehearsals with thirty-five singers for our first program, Joy to the World.
As word spread the choir enjoyed steady growth through 2019. Like everything else, we were impacted by Covid and had to pause our rehearsals and concerts, however we reconvened in September 2021. The response of the singers and the audience has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic, and as we continue to grow, we are confident that this choir is meant to fulfill a need in the community.
The Southern Tier Christian Choir is a non-denominational organization. We currently have over sixty members drawing from more than thirty different local churches. The common thread is that we all desire to share the message of the Gospel through music.
We perform two concerts a year: a December Christmas concert and a themed Spring concert. Past Spring themes have included gospel music, hymns, Easter, and the patriotic program Home of the Brave. We have also participated in the annual CHOW Concert, which brings together several area choirs to raise money for the local food bank.
Southern Tier Christian Choir