Peoria Philharmonic Chorale celebrates a century of song

As Peoria’s Philharmonic Chorale marks its 100-year anniversary at Illinois Central College’s Performing Arts Center on Sunday (May 4), the temptation of dismissing happenings in 1925 as “dated” is foolish. First, events that year foreshadow of current events.

More importantly, music is timeless.

True, a hit song in 1925 was “Tea for Two,” but as the chorale will show during its 2:30 p.m. performance, many tunes have endured through the decades.

This year also marks 100 years since “The Great Gatsby” was published (along with Adolph Hitler’s “Mein Kampf”), and The New Yorker magazine first came out that year.

In Tennessee, there was a push to censor schools teaching evolution, leading to the landmark “Scopes Monkey Trial.” On a much lighter note, the Marx Brothers’ first film, “The Cocoanuts,” was born as a hit musical comedy on Broadway, and on the radio, “Little Orphan Annie” made the leap from newspapers’ comics.

In Peoria, the Philharmonic Chorale started as the Amateur Music Club’s all-female choir, adding male guest vocalists in the ’50s before becoming a mixed chorus in the ’60s, and through the years they performed as the Scottish Rite Cathedral, the Shrine Temple, the Majestic Theater and other venues.

After a fun introductory nod to “Star Wars” (“May the 4^th be with you”), the Chorale will sing material from each of the preceding 10 decades, noting previous directors, too.

Next, the concert (“A Century of Song Celebration”) will have ensembles sharing a variety of numbers, from a concert songbook ranging from Bach and Bernstein to Beatle John Lennon, folk songs and spirituals. Then, a “director’s choice” will provide a medley of music picked by  Director Amy Smith before a finale bringing up some notable alumni from the Chorale’s past seasons.

Longtime singer and board member Ann Ragsdale says the Chorale’s singers have showed commitment and devotion, but she appreciates the spirit and benefits of the Chorale – to the public as well as the participants.

“We’ve made lasting friendships and shared time rehearsing and performing,” she says. “And we share the music with the community.”