OUR MISSION: Ipswich River Community Chorus celebrates the unique power of choral music to connect diverse singers, audiences and communities as we pursue musical excellence. We welcome singers of all backgrounds and abilities and celebrate diversity through music. Our membership consists of both adults and teens (14+) and we frequently incorporate our IRCC Children’s Chorus into our concerts.
OUR HISTORY: We had our beginning in 1981 with a group of local music enthusiasts, organized to share their love of music and singing and to provide opportunities for learning, improving skills and performing.
While we are based in North Reading, our members hail from dozens of communities on the North Shore and throughout the Merrimack Valley.
We rehearse and hold our concerts at Union Congregational Church in North Reading but, organizationally, we are entirely separate from the church. The chorus performs music from a wide variety of cultures and musical traditions.
Throughout the years, IRCC has performed a wide variety of styles of music and our repertoire grows with every performance. Past performances have included music from the worlds of
- Film
- Broadway
- Folk
- Jazz
- Blues
- Spirituals
- Classical
- World Music
- Madrigals
- Traditional Choral Music
- Pop Music
- Holiday Favorites
- Popular tunes both past and present
If you love to sing, join us!
We Put the Community in “Community Chorus”
We are a non-profit organization providing entertainment for the community. We have participated in many community events such as The Fourth of July Festival, Christmas Caroling and Relay for Life. Recently, we were featured in the award winning documentary “The Drive to Sing,” currently available on Amazon Prime, which explored how choruses around the country found new and innovative ways to keep singing during the Covid pandemic.
Whenever possible, we try to “pay it forward.” Each fall, we incorporate a charitable component into our annual fundraiser. Since 2019, through the generosity of our members and supporters, we have donated nearly 1,000 Thanksgiving pies to area food pantries, domestic violence shelters and families in need. We’ve also collected donations of warm winter clothing for Lazarus House, which serves area families and individuals facing material poverty, homelessness, and food insecurity.
We also fund two scholarships each year for students who have shown exceptional musical skill and leadership.