We are a chorus that proudly carries on a tradition of musical excellence in the western suburbs. The first concert of the Society was Handel's "Messiah" on December 6, 1959, under the direction of founder Thelma Roe Milnes. Our repertoire of great choral music includes the full spectrum of major choral works, contemporary masterpieces, and commissioned premieres. We perform with the finest professional vocal soloists and orchestral musicians in the Chicago area. We are a community-based volunteer organization with an annual operating budget of more than $60,000. Our sources of income include membership dues, ticket sales, program ads, corporate gifts, and donations from patrons of the arts. We also are supported, in part, by grants from the Village of Downers Grove Community Grants Program; the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; the DuPage Community Foundation; and the Hinsdale Center for the Arts. Performances with area choruses or symphonies have included Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9" with the DuPage Symphony, Handel's "Israel in Egypt" with the Naperville Chorus, Mendelssohn's "Elijah" with several other choruses and the Brooklyn Philharmonic under the direction of Sherrill Milnes in Carnegie Hall, and, most recently, Verdi’s "Requiem" with the Park Ridge Civic Orchestra under Edgar Muenzer.