Touring and Chamber Choirs

Touring Choir has, for many years, been an auditioned ensemble of approximately 40 students in 11th and 12th grades.

The choral worship service the choir leads includes repertoire from classical and contemporary sacred literature, as well as songs from a wide variety of other traditions and styles. Chamber Choir is a select group from within the Touring Choir.

Our faith in Christ is central to our identity as a choir, and we seek to sing in an attitude of worship that goes beyond performance, with a spiritual connection to God, the music, each other, and our audience. We believe choral artistic excellence and worship strengthen and reinforce each other. Eastern Mennonite School was founded over a century ago with vocal music in worship as one of its foundational values, and we are glad for the gift of this musical heritage.

The Touring Choir sings between 20 and 30 local concerts and church programs each year in addition to an annual out-of-state spring tour. The choir also tours Europe during the summer of alternating years. Recent trips have included programs in England, Scotland, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Our church programs are “choral worship services” instead of “concerts” intentionally — our music is about the gospel of Jesus Christ — his love for us, his death for our sins, and his resurrection. Students in our choir come from a number of different denominations and backgrounds and places on the theological spectrum, and from different stripes of Mennonite churches, as well. We focus on the center of our faith, what Christians have believed about Jesus as revealed in Scripture for 2,000 years across time and culture.

Jared Stutzman, director

2023-24 Touring Choir and Chamber Choir Schedules

Sunday, January 28

  • 10:30 a.m., Chamber Choir at Mount Clinton Mennonite Church

Sunday, February 4

  • 10:30 a.m.,  Chamber Choir at Linville Creek Church of the Brethren

Sunday, February 11

  • 11 a.m.,  Chamber Choir at Muhlenberg Lutheran Church

Wednesday, February 14

  • 7 p.m., Choral Concert at EMS Auditorium (MS Chorale, Concert Choir, Chamber Choir)

April 4-7 Mennonite Schools Choir Festival

  • April 4, 7 p.m., Turkey Run Mennonite, Logan OH
  • April 7, TBA, (Goshen, IN)
  • April 7, 2:30 p.m. Mass Choir Performance, Goshen College, IN

Sunday, April 28

  • 10:30 a.m., Trissels Mennonite Church
  • 7 p.m.,  Harrisonburg Mennonite Church

Sunday, May 5

  • 9:30 a.m., Community Mennonite Church
  • 5 p.m., Evensong at Emmanuel Episcopal Church

Sunday, May 19

  • 10:30 a.m., Lindale Mennonite Church
  • 7 p.m. Park View Mennonite Church

Sunday, May 26

  • 10:30 a.m., TBA
  • 7 p.m., Weavers Mennonite Church

Thursday, May 30

  • 7 p.m. Commencement Concert (Symphonic Band, String Orchestra, Jazz, MS Chorale, Chamber Choir, Touring Choir)

The 2021 choir sang their first program after COVID-19 for a parents-only audience on May 16. You can view that here.

A display in the fine arts hallway outlines some of the history of the choirs. Read the story.