St. Charles Singers to Open 41st Season With TIME TO EXPLORE Program
Performances will take place October 18–19, 2025, at Baker Memorial United Methodist Church.
By: A.A. Cristi Sep. 26, 2025
The St. Charles Singers, led by founder and music director Jeffrey Hunt, will launch their 41st concert season with Time to Explore, a program highlighting classical composers’ use of folk melodies. Concerts will be presented Saturday, October 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, October 19 at 3 p.m. at Baker Memorial United Methodist Church in St. Charles, Illinois.
The program will feature what the choir believes to be the American premiere of five recently rediscovered Irish folk-song settings by late-Romantic composer Charles Stanford. The concerts will also include Brahms’ playful Zigeunerlieder (Gypsy Songs), Lee Kesselman’s Hymn to Time (a co-commission with text by Ursula K. Le Guin), Dan Messe’s Half Acre arranged for choir, Jake Runestad’s Come to the Woods, Stuart Churchill’s arrangement of “Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair,” and Shawn Kirchner’s joyful I’ll Be on My Way.
The 40-voice ensemble, praised by American Record Guide as “a national treasure,” will be joined by violinist Wendy Benner and pianist Stephen Uhl.
Single tickets are $50 for adults, $45 for seniors, and $12 for students, with group discounts available. Tickets are available at stcharlessingers.com or by calling 630-513-5272. Tickets may also be purchased at the door, subject to availability.
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