News and Events
Director Mark Kimball Passes
September 23, 2019
Mark Kimball passed away on Monday, Sept. 16, 2019 at the age of 69.
Throughout his life, Mark was an avid musician in Ozaukee County, singing barbershop, playing in the Port City Band and directing church choirs at both St. Peter's and St. John's in Port Washington. For 13 years, he was also the director of the Ozaukee Chorus.
Meet Jessi Kolberg our Fall Accompanist
August 14, 2019
Jessi Kolberg is a well-known musician in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. She graduated with honors from Wisconsin Lutheran College with a music degree in Piano Performance, Vocal Performance, and Church Music. She teaches piano, voice, and violin at Wisconsin Lutheran High School and voice at Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School. She has been an accompanist for the Milwaukee Ballet School & Academy since 2003, the staff accompanist at Alverno College since 2011, and serves as the organist at Loving Shepherd Lutheran in Brown Deer. She has participated in such well-known groups as the Wisconsin Lutheran College Choir and Chamber Choir, the Bel Canto Chorus and Choral Artists, the Lutheran Chorale of Milwaukee, and the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, and has accompanied the Chant Claire chamber choir, the Waukesha Childrens Choir, the West Allis Suburban Singers, and various high schools choir concerts and solo/ensemble events. Jessi is currently a member of the Milwaukee Chamber Choir, the Kettle Moraine Symphony Orchestra, and Canticum Novum, and can also be seen playing violin with the band, The Nightinjails.
Ozaukee Chorus Awards Four Students with Scholarships
April 23, 2018
The Ozaukee Chorus has awarded four students from various high schools in Ozaukee County, with a $1,000 scholarship each for their efforts to further their musical education. The following students have been selected as the 2018 winners for the annual award: Maisie Allen, Junior at Homestead High School; Nathan Conlon, Senior at Cedarburg High School; Lindsey Underwood, Senior at Grafton High School; and Mackenzie Pauly, Senior at Port Washington High School. Each recipient was selected after displaying excellence in the field of music and has intentions of pursuing further education in the musical field.
For the love of singing
April 13, 2017
The kindred spirits of the Ozaukee Chorus bond over their appreciation of choral music while staging entertaining concerts and raising money for music scholarships
Frank Gedelman of Grafton has figured out one of secrets to membership in the Ozaukee Chorus.
“It’s a bring-your-friends kind of thing. There are no auditions. You show up at that first
Ozaukee Chorus Awards Five Students with Scholarships
March 16, 2017
The Ozaukee Chorus has awarded five students, one from each high school in Ozaukee County, with a $1,000 scholarship each for their efforts to further their musical education. The following students have been selected as winners for the annual award: (from left to right) Nicholas Shininger, Senior at Ozaukee High School; Shelby Zang, Senior at Cedarburg High School; Georgia Miller, Junior at Homestead High School; Erin Hogan, Senior at Grafton High School; Elliot DeMerit, Senior at Port Washington High School; and . Each recipient was selected after displaying excellence in the field of music and has intentions of pursuing further education in the musical field.
The scholarship recipients will be participating in the Ozaukee Chorus spring concert, “America in Song” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 4th. The students will perform a few songs with the choir during the concert, which will consist of traditional folk and patriotic pieces. The concert will be held at the Grafton High School Auditorium, 1950 Washington Street, Grafton. Tickets are $8 each for general admission. Children ages 12 and younger are free. The concert will be interpreted for the hearing impaired.
The Ozaukee Chorus is a non-profit organization that has been together since 1975. Their purpose is to promote the advancement of choral music education. Since 2008, the Ozaukee Chorus has awarded more than $48,000 in Scholarships! Their net proceeds from the choral engagements are presented as scholarships every spring to one student at each high school in Ozaukee County who are further pursuing musical education.
Ozaukee Chorus begins rehearsals with youthful spirit
January 24, 2017
On a rainy Tuesday evening in Grafton, the basement of St. Joseph's Catholic Church fills with members of the Ozaukee Chorus.
It is a predominantly older group, but what stands out is the level of youthful exuberance and genuine excitement to begin rehearsing for the spring season, specifically the spring concert May 4 at Grafton High School.
Since its creation in 1975, the Ozaukee Chorus has served as both a musical outlet for its members and a staple of entertainment for the county. Helen Waldschmidt, one of the founding members of the group, recalled her desire to join a chorus after moving from Minnesota. There were no organized groups in the county at the time and she did not want to travel to Milwaukee, so she reached out to the Chamber of Commerce assistance.
Director Bill Ross Passes
July 26, 2011