KU Bales Choral Society In Second Year With Staff And Faculty Choir

Ryan Grossman | KUJH News

The University of Kansas Bales Choral Society has begun its second year with the faculty and staff choir. The choir meets every Monday evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in room 328 of Murphy Hall. The chorus has 10 rehearsals this fall to prepare for their end of semester concert in early December. 

To begin the rehearsal, Dr. Wolfgang Reisinger, head of Bales Choral Society, conducts a vocal warmup, getting choir members ready to sing. The choir would then practice renditions of; “It was a Sunday,” “Crimson and the Blue” and John Rutter’s “Gloria.” 

In the midst of a 20 minute break during the 2 hour rehearsal, members enjoy each other’s company with snacks, conversation, and even games. This 20 minute break allows choir members to get to know each other a bit more and build a growing community.

“When we get together, we sing, we laugh, we enjoy some community time with conversation, with snacks, and it’s really an extension of what we feel is the best part of coming together to make music, and building a family,” Cory Reames a musical arts grad student, said.. 

This is also an opportunity for other respective grad students to practice new skills. Max Linares, another grad student in the School of Music, got the opportunity to conduct for the first time in front of the choir.

“I’ve been working for a couple weeks with Dr. Reisinger on looking at the score, picking it apart and figuring out what we need to bring out musically, and what we think singers will struggle with, and being able to work to address those issues,” Linares said.. “It’s a great place to be and a great way to practice my (conducting) skills.” 

With the goal of increasing opportunity and growing the School of Music on campus, the faculty and staff choir was started last year by former KU School of Music professor Dr. Michael Bauer and the Bales Choral Society board. 

“He decided last year to put this opportunity together for KU faculty and staff to come together and make music,” Sarah Coury said , a Bales Choral Society board member. 

While the choir was originally made for faculty and staff, students are eligible to join. The choir runs both semesters, and has a concert at the conclusion of each semester.

The Bales Choral Society even plans on taking members on a trip to Vienna, Austria in February of 2026. To learn more information or on how to join for the upcoming semester, contact Dr. Wolfgang Reisinger or go to music.ku.edu.