In 1984, Joan Penney, with the support of the Skagit Valley College Foundation, formed the Skagit Valley Chorale with a group of 30 singers.  During Joan's 10-year tenure, the Chorale performed for local community audiences, through concerts and dinner theater productions.  The Skagit Valley Chorale also traveled to New York City, performing in a production of Mozart's Requiem in Carnegie Hall, and the Nina Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Jim Mathews, a member of the Chorale and a retired award-winning high school choral and instrumental music teacher, directed the Skagit Valley Chorale from 1994-2003.  Under his leadership, the Chorale continued to grow to over one hundred mixed voices. 

• formed smaller groups from the larger membership to perform in non-concert, local settings.   
• gifted music scholarships to local college students by performing galas featuring members in ensembles and solos.
• participated in fund-raising events to benefit Skagit Performing Arts Center and other local organizations. 
• performed a joint concert with the Everett Chorale. 
• performed a joint concert with the Skagit Symphony.

Janet Skones Hitt became the director of the Chorale in the fall of 2004.  Janet holds a Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Seattle Pacific University, and she has developed an award-winning and nationally recognized choir program at Jackson High School in Everett.  Mrs. Hitt directed the Chorale's debut at McIntyre Hall, both at the opening events and for its 2005 spring concert.  Janet continues to be an inspiration with her love of choral singing and a continuing effort toward excellence in music.

The Chorale traditionally presents two concerts each year.  "Heralding Christmas," presented shortly after Thanksgiving, has featured Vivaldi's Gloria and Rutter's Magnificat, as well as a variety of seasonal selections, often featuring soloists from the chorale membership.  "Celebrating in Song" is presented in the spring and has featured major works such as Gounod's St. Cecilia Mass,Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, and familiar Opera Choruses in several languages.

The program selection, designed to provide an enjoyable quality musical experience for singer and audience alike, is a year long process.  Familiar tunes are a portion of every program.  Choral works by major composers are included as they are an important part of our musical heritage and often provide a challenge for members to grow in their musical understanding.  Orchestral accompaniment and foreign languages are often included if they are part of the original composition.   

The Chorale provides local-area singers a non-audition opportunity to express the human spirit by performing quality choral music for concert audiences.  Chorale members come from Whatcom, Island, and Snohomish counties, as well as Skagit County, for weekly rehearsals and bi-annual concerts.  Although the Chorale strives to maintain a numerical balance between its eight sections, membership is open to singers with previous singing experience.  The continued support of this community is critical to the Chorale's continued success.  Without new singers and members of the listening audience, the Chorale would cease to exist. 

Representing the community and the state of Washington, the Chorale traveled to Salzburg and Vienna to participate in the 250th celebration of Mozart's birth at the 2006 Mozart Choral Festival, an exciting musical experience and a great honor.

WHEREAS, the Skagit Valley Chorale has been selected to represent the state of Washington at the 2006 Mozart Choral Festival; and

WHEREAS, the Mozart Choral Festival celebrates the 250th anniversary of the birth of the genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with concerts in Salzburg and Vienna, Austria; and