Our flagship ensemble, the Sanctuary Choir, is one of the premier church choirs in the Midwest. With 70 volunteer singers, the choir leads worship at Sunday services from September to May, and on select Sundays in summer, including the annual Jazz Liturgy during the Bix Jazz Festival.
Highlights:
- Featured for over 20 years at the Quad City Symphony Holiday Pops
- Appeared twice on national PBS-TV
- Commissioned and premiered works by renowned composers such as Libby Larsen, Jonathan Dove, William Mathias, Howard Helvey, Mack Wilberg, and Alfred Fedak.
- Collaborated with distinguished conductors and composers, including Jester Hairston, Dale Warland, and Tom Trenney.
- Regularly tours internationally (Germany in 2018, Ireland in 2022, Italy in 2025) and regionally (Milwaukee in 2019, Twin Cities in 2023).
The choir is dedicated to building “beloved community” through the sacred and healing act of singing together; as such, the choir believes its rehearsal and performance spaces to be safe spaces, open to all who are moved by self-expression through music. The Sanctuary Choir blends tradition and creativity, offering inspiring music that enriches our worship and reaches far beyond our walls.
The Chamber Chorale is an auditioned ensemble of 20 skilled singers specializing in music for smaller vocal groups. Their diverse repertoire spans nine centuries, from Medieval chant to contemporary works by living composers.
Highlights:
- Collaborated with the Metropolitan Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Chicago (Bach’s Reformation Cantatas, 2017)
- Presents Evensong services, an annual Advent Lessons and Carols service, and other special services throughout the year.
The adult handbell choir of the church, the Vesper Bells is an auditioned ensemble of thirteen players who ring two five-octave sets of Schulmerich handbells and a three-octave set of Suzuki choir chimes. They ring regularly for worship and community events and are featured annually on the church's Christmas Concert and Good Friday Tenebrae service. In 2025 the choir is set to premiere a commissioned work by Cathy Moklebust.
Inspired by a movement of similarly themed choirs across the country, the Justice Choir of the Midwest is a community ensemble of adult singers from across the Quad Cities region with a focus on racial justice, migrant justice, LGBTQ+ equality, climate justice, voting rights, and other areas of justice that are threatened by people in power. This ensemble partners with and raises funds for community organizations, shows up at protests, and provides a safe space for people to lift their voices in advocacy for the oppressed.
