The Evanston Children's Choir is opening its 25th anniversary season this September with three programs for young singers. Two require no audition, and the program as a whole turns no child away for inability to pay.
Founded in 2002 by Gary Geiger under the name Musical Offering Children's Choir, the program was renamed the Evanston Children's Choir (ECC) in 2007. Geiger, a Northwestern University music graduate who has taught piano for more than 30 years at Noyes Cultural Arts Center, built the choir on a simple bet.
"I had in my head the idea that, 'Bring the kids in, the money would follow.' And that's exactly what happened," Geiger told the Evanston RoundTable in a profile published Monday, Aug. 3.
The three choirs available this fall:
- Concert Choir — audition required, grades 3–12, capped at 40 singers, rehearses twice a week, produces five to six performances per semester.
- Pop Hits Choir — no audition, grades 1–8, capped at 40 singers, rehearses once a week, directed by Sarah Bartolome.
- Story Choir — no audition, grades 1–5, capped at 25 singers, a nine-week session directed by Delaney Roberts. This fall's theme: the story and music of Michael Jackson.
Geiger described Story Choir as "a taste of theater without all the blocking, very bare bones," combining narration and singing.
The ECC also recently began accommodating boys with changing voices by letting them sing in a lower range rather than leaving the program. Geiger said the change, introduced during the 2025–26 season, went well. The choir has also started inviting adults, alumni, and parents to sing alongside students during March and April rehearsals.
Two major concerts anchor the anniversary season. The winter concert is set for 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, at Alice Millar Chapel. The spring concert will be Friday evening, May 14, 2027, at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave. It will be the ECC's first performance at Nichols, a venue Geiger sees as a potential permanent home for the program.
The choir has previously performed at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park, Orchestra Hall, and the Rosemont Theatre, and regularly collaborates with the Evanston Symphony Orchestra.
Registration for all three choirs is open at evanstonchildrenschoir.org. Families can also reach Geiger at 847-733-0814 or [email protected]. Rehearsals begin in September.
