ISING CHOIR
ABOUT US
ISing's mission is to share innovative and exceptional choral music while supporting local nonprofit organizations.
Since our founding in 2005, ISing has worked to share high-quality music to make its community better. We believe that music can make the world a better place, and we put that into practice by raising money for nonprofit organizations in Beaverton, Washington County, and the greater Portland area.
WHAT DO WE DO?
ISing...well, we sing. But we do much more than that. We learn about diverse music and we share that - for free - with our audience. We tour internationally to share our culture with others and to bring their culture back with us. And we raise money for local charities.
May 2020
BLACK LIVES MATTER
ISing Choir condemns racism, violence, and systemic oppression in all of their forms. We unequivocally believe that Black Lives Matter. We grieve for the callous loss of many lives and are angered by the cruelty, harassment, and subjugation that has been perpetrated across centuries of American history and continues to this day.
As one of our core values, we take seriously our commitment to educate ourselves about the cultures without and within our local community whose music we perform. With that commitment in mind, we are creating a committee dedicated to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The committee will be open to all choir members and will seek guidance from leaders in this field. It will focus on the education of the ISing Board and Choir, and on ensuring sensitivity and respect as we share the music of diverse cultures. The existence of such a group is not an end in and of itself. However, it is a necessary step as we work toward social change.
We know that we are all participants in these oppressive systems and that dismantling them will require perseverance, but also empathy and a profound humility. We are committed to the process and are aware that we have a lot to learn in our journey to become a choir that feels, and is, welcoming to all.
Sincerely,
Board of Directors, ISing Choir
SING
Music is powerful. It connects people in ways that words cannot. We sing for the joy of it, but we also sing for the challenge. Instead of finding music that's well within our abilities, we often select pieces that push us to improve and grow as individual musicians and as a choir.
PERFORM
While it's incredibly satisfying to sing with a group of talented, committed people, it's just not the same without an audience. Getting to share our hard work and passion with our appreciative, generous audience makes all the hours of rehearsal worth it.
EVENING PRAYER
Composer Ola Gjeilo
ISing Choir in rehearsal while on tour;
recorded at Valpre Chapel, Lyon, France, 20 June 2014
(posted with permission)
The
OFFICIAL VIDEO
BENEFIT
But we don't just do it for the love of music. We also want to highlight and support nonprofit organizations that are making our community a better place. So each of our concerts is a benefit show with 100% (that's all of it) going to our selected beneficiary. Since we started, ISing has raised $374,618 for nonprofit organizations in the area.
TOUR
Every three years the choir goes on an international tour. Through touring we get to explore other cultures and musical traditions while sharing ours. But perhaps the most important thing that happens on tour is relationships that develop within the choir. We learn to not just sing with each other, but for each other.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND CONDUCTOR
Stephen Galván has worked in community and church music for 45 years directing choirs of adults, youth, and children. He has been leading ISing since 2001 through its transition from an Intel employee club to an incorporated non-profit. He is also the Music Director at St. Peter Catholic Church in Portland, Oregon, and serves on the board of the Beaverton Arts Foundation.
SUPPORTERS
Thank you to these generous supporters of ISing Choir.
City of Beaverton Arts Program
