Schaumburg Choral Artists to perform hometown concert before tour of Ireland, Scotland

Schaumburg Choral Artists, one of the newer enterprises of the village of Schaumburg’s Cultural Services Department, will perform a concert in their hometown Sunday, May 19, before embarking on a three-stop tour of Ireland and Scotland next month.

Rob Pileckis, assistant director of the department, said locals will get a good understanding Sunday of why the group caught the attention of international booking agents.

An outgrowth of the village’s long-existing youth programs, the now 41-member ensemble started in the fall of 2022 for adults, college students and advanced high schoolers, under the direction of Conant High School teacher Tim Koll.

“It’s a very new concept for us,” Pileckis said. “Word started traveling and before we knew it we had more than 40 people. We’ve never had a program take off like this before.”

Membership is based entirely on talent, determined through an audition process, as well as a commitment to the rehearsal and performance schedule. But there is no age or residency requirement, Pileckis said.

The group will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Al Larson Prairie Center for the Arts, 201 Schaumburg Court in Schaumburg.

Tickets cost $9 ($5 for those 18 and younger) if purchased in advance. At the door, they’ll go for $11 for adults and $7 for 18 and younger. Advance tickets can be bought at prairiecenter.org.

The tour of Ireland and Scotland will run June 10-18. The venues will be the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin.