River Raisin Chorus has shared award-winning talent for 45 years

Tom Adamich
·3 min read
River Raisin Chorus members are shown in performance mode. Many members, including current president Sue Gruber, have been members for decades; Gruber has been a member for 35 years.
River Raisin Chorus members are shown in performance mode. Many members, including current president Sue Gruber, have been members for decades; Gruber has been a member for 35 years.

One of the most talented and civic-minded groups to serve Monroe County’s arts community for over 40 years has been the River Raisin Chorus. This women’s singing group continues to share its gifts of voice throughout the area and provides singers an opportunity to perform together to develop their harmony and to showcase the talent of singers of all ages.

I recently spoke with Pam Meade, who is the River Raisin Chorus business manager. She shared a wealth of information and images profiling the history of the chorus. According to a brief history of the River Raisin Chorus, the group is a local chapter of the Sweet Adelines International – founded in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1945 as a small group of women who loved to sing. Chorus competitions were held from the beginning, but competitions for quartets and other small-group singing began in 1973.

The River Raisin Chorus charter was approved on Sept. 19, 1977. Its charter members were Dolores Beckinger, Elda Chambers, Myra Clark, Ann Fleck, Peg Matthes, Annetta Meck, Mary Ellen Metz, Sorothy Sauer, Eleanor Thomson, and Shirley Wagenknecht Dinkel. Metz also served as the group’s first director.

Early River Raisin Chorus directors included Carol Selleck (1979), Chuck Drouillard (1981-84), Bob Hartley (1985-87), Paula Rink (1987), Jim Armbrust (1988-2000), Dave Granata (2000) and Dawn Seigneur (2000 to present). Seigneur holds the distinction as the longest-serving director in the history of the River Raisin Chorus. Others also served as assistant directors including Metz, Fleck, Joyce Babosh, Rachel Watson and Judy Greiner.

Throughout its history, the River Raisin Chorus has benefitted from the generosity of local organizations willing to allow the group to rehearse and perform at their facilities. The group has practiced and performed at the Trinity Lutheran School, Grace Lutheran Church, St. Mary Academy, River Raisin Center for the Arts, Harwood Plaza, Horizon Outlet, the American Red Cross, the Frenchtown Senior Center, Furnace Place and the Bible Fellowship Church.

The River Raisin Chorus is pictured in 1998-99. Founded on Sept. 19, 1977, the group is part of the Sweet Adelines International, which started in Tulsa, Okla., in 1945.
The River Raisin Chorus is pictured in 1998-99. Founded on Sept. 19, 1977, the group is part of the Sweet Adelines International, which started in Tulsa, Okla., in 1945.

The River Raisin Chorus began Sweet Adeline regional competition in 1982. During that time, the group has garnered a number of national honors including third-place small chorus (1989, 2015 and 2017), second-place small chorus (1991, 2010, 2013 and 2018), fifth-place overall chorus (1992), fourth-place overall chorus (1997) and second-place overall chorus (1995). It also received the most improved chorus award in 1992, 1995 and 2013.

Through the years, the River Raisin Chorus has had as few as 18 members and as many as 60 members covering a wide vocal range. Ages have ranged from teenage members who had participated in high school choral groups to great-grandmothers who have sung with their families and others for many years. While most members of the River Raisin Chorus are Monroe County residents, the group has had international representation, including a Swedish exchange student who later became a showmanship judge for the Sweet Adelines International organization.

In addition to the venues listed earlier where the River Raisin Chorus practiced and performed, the group has sung at many area churches, the Monroe County Fair, Roselawn Cemetery, Erie Orchard, Dundee Old Mill, Milan’s Wilson Park, Elizabeth Park in Trenton, the Dundee Senior Citizens Center, the We Care Telethon and the River Raisin Center for the Arts programs as well as at wedding receptions, funerals, Christmas teas, Mother-Daughter banquets and other venues upon request.

The River Raisin Chorus prides itself as being a compassionate and loving group that works hard and sticks together as a family of singers. Current River Raisin Chorus president Sue Gruber has been a member for over 35 years and continues to enjoy the positive feedback from audiences.

Tom Adamich is president of Visiting Librarian Service, a firm he has operated since 1993. He also is project archivist for the Greening Nursery Co. and Family Archives and the electric vehicle awareness coordinator at Monroe County Community College.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: River Raisin Chorus has shared award-winning talent for 45 years