St. Charles Singers to Present ‘Choral Connections’ Concerts with Six High School Choirs February 20-21

Performances to be held in Baker Memorial
United Methodist Church, St. Charles, Illinois

Student choruses to come from Aurora,
Carpentersville, Glen Ellyn, St. Charles,
and Sycamore

ST. CHARLES, Illinois, January 29, 2026 — The third annual edition of the St. Charles Singers’ “Choral Connections” concerts February 20 and 21, 2026, in St. Charles will comprise two different programs featuring the critically acclaimed mixed-voice chamber choir and student choruses from six suburban high schools.

At each concert, the St. Charles Singers, led by founder and music director Jeffrey Hunt, will perform a set of songs, as will choruses from three area high schools, conducted by their own choral directors. For the finale, they’ll all sing together under Hunt’s direction. 

“The goal is to instill, nurture, and celebrate a lifelong love of the choral arts,” Hunt says. “It’s also an opportunity for the public to sample the St. Charles Singers’ artistry and the high caliber of musicianship that local high school choral directors and their student ensembles have achieved.” 

The hour-long “Choral Connections” programs will be presented at 7:30 p.m. February 20 and 7:30 p.m. February 21 at Baker Memorial United Methodist Church, 307 Cedar Avenue, St. Charles. 

The February 20 concert includes the St. Charles Singers and choruses from Dundee-Crown High School, Carpentersville, directed by Jacob Stouffer; Glenbard South High School, Glen Ellyn, directed by Elizabeth Hutchinson; and Waubonsie Valley High School, Aurora, directed by Chelsea King. 

King is a member of the St. Charles Singers’ alto section. 

The February 21 roster includes the St. Charles Singers and choruses from Glenbard West High School, Glen Ellyn, directed by Andy Jeffrey; St. Charles East High School, St. Charles, directed by Ashley Zima; and Sycamore High School, Sycamore, directed by Drayton Eggleson. 

Eggleson sings bass with the St. Charles Singers, Jeffrey is a tenor. 

“The benefit of this particular event,” Jeffrey says, “really lies in students observing others engaging in the same artistic endeavor, being able to interact with students and professionals from other places, and collaborating with them at a really high level.” 

Noting that many of the choral directors are, like himself, St. Charles Singers members, Jeffrey says, “It’s great for students to see that their directors are still pursuing their passions even later in life and that those passions can lead to participation in wonderful communities beyond their immediate area.” 

Songs by Runestad, Rutter, and more 

At both concerts, the St. Charles Singers will offer Jake Runestad’s exhilarating, outdoorsy “Come to the Woods” and John Rutter’s “Thou Mine Eyes,” an a cappella anthem inspired by Celtic folksong. 

The works to be sung by each high school chorus will be announced at the concerts. 

The finale of both concerts will feature the combined choirs singing Shawn Kirchner’s uplifting, neo-Romantic “Sweet Rivers” and J. David Moore’s arrangement of the traditional Appalachian folk tune “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” 

Tickets and information 

Admission to each of the February “Choral Connections” concerts is $25 for adults and seniors, $12 for students. 

Tickets and information are available at stcharlessingers.com or by calling 630-513-5272. Tickets may also be purchased at the door on the day of the concert, depending on availability 

St. Charles Singers concert roster 

St. Charles Singers ensemble members performing in the 2026 Choral Connections concerts include sopranos Michelle Areyzaga of Arlington Heights; Kristen Murray and Karen Rockett of Batavia; Chloe Hayes, Chicago; Jessica Heinrich and Kailey Kunstman, Elburn; Lydia Walsh-Rock, Forest Park; Laura Johnson, Hanover Park; Kelly Johnson, Hoffman Estates; Meredith Taylor Mollica, Naperville; AnDréa James, St. Charles; and Marybeth Kurnat, Wheaton. 

The alto section includes Christina Collins, Arlington Heights; Valerie Bollero and Margaret Fox, Batavia; Mary Kunstman, Elburn; Rachel Miller, Naperville; Chelsea King and Julie Popplewell, North Aurora; Bethany Brewer, Palos Heights; Debra Wilder, Vernon Hills; and Karen Archbold, Wheaton. 

Tenors are Brian Smith, Aurora; Marcus Jansen, Batavia; Bryan Kunstman and Bradley Staker, Elburn; Stephen Mollica, Naperville; Gregor King, North Aurora; Nick Falco, Schaumburg; and Andy Jeffrey, St. Charles. 

Bass singers are Brandon Fox, Batavia; Antonio Quaranta, Berwyn; Douglas Peters, Chicago; Jess Koehn, Downers Grove; David Hartley, Hanover Park; Michael Popplewell, North Aurora; Aaron James, St. Charles; and Andrew Toniolo, Warrenville. 

Collaborative pianist is Stephen Uhl of Glen Ellyn. 

Next up: ‘Sacred Spaces’ season finale concerts June 11-12 

The St. Charles Singers June 11-12 season finale concerts, “Sacred Spaces” (originally titled “You, Us, Connected”), in St. Charles will offer audiences the richly varied program of sacred a cappella works that listeners will hear in Roman and Venetian cathedrals when the choir makes its first Italian concert tour in mid-June. 

In brief: St. Charles Singers 

Founded and directed by Jeffrey Hunt, the St. Charles Singers is a chamber choir dedicated to choral music in all its forms. Hailed by American Record Guide as “a national treasure,” the mixed-voice ensemble includes professional singers, choral directors, and voice instructors, some of whom perform with other top-tier Chicago choirs. Classics Today has called the ensemble “one of North America’s outstanding choirs,” citing “charisma and top-notch musicianship” that “bring character and excitement to each piece.” Choral Journal proclaimed, “They sing with versatile musicality, vibrant tone, and impeccable diction.” England’s Choir and Organ declared, “With a well-balanced and beautifully blended choral sound, the St. Charles Singers are totally committed to what they perform.” Among the St. Charles Singers’ prominent guest conductors have been renowned English composer Sir John Rutter, founder of the Cambridge Singers; Philip Moore, composer and former music director at England’s York Minster cathedral; and Grammy Award-winning American choir director Craig Hella Johnson. The choir launched in St. Charles, Illinois, in 1984 as the Mostly Madrigal Singers.
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