Wicker Park Choral Singers Going Strong in Year Three

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 8, 2011 8:40PM

It's been almost three years since Mark Tomasino founded the Wicker Park Choral Singers. In that span the group has grown from 24 to 36, with singers e-mailing Tomasino every week for an opportunity to audition. "The interest in people wanting to audition for Wicker Park Choral Singers is such that I believe Chicago could support groups our size ten times over," he said.

Both Tomasino and soprano Stehanie Photakis said that crowds for their recitals are larger than what one would normally find for a choral recital, a testament to the choir's continued mission to bring free recitals to a wider audience. "We average around 200 people for a recital," Photakis, "and the concerts last no longer than an hour. The combination of short recitals and free admission makes this enticing for new and old audiences."

Tomasino added, "Even though the recitals are free, the donations we collect after a concert are normally what we would expect in gate receipts if we did charge an admission."

Wicker Park Choral Singers core group has remained largely intact for an all-volunteer group. "Our members are passionate about singing," Photakis said. "That's a necessity, especially if you're going out and singing for free." As the Artistic Director of the group, Tomasino tries to keep the repertoire fresh for the group, with a few signature pieces that he knows the choir can sing perfectly night in, night out.

Even so, choosing the material isn't a one-man show. "Some of our members are very experienced," Tomasino said. "Suggestions for songs from choir members is encouraged. Maybe it's a piece someone sang in college choral. Maybe it's a Billy Joel song."

Tomorrow and Sunday, Wicker Park Choral Singers perform two shows with a repertoire ranging from Byrd, Poulenc, Machaut, Guillaume, Thompson, Palestrina, Duruflé and others. "The music for these shows represents nine countries in six different languages," Tomasino told us. Tomorrow night's show at St. Vincent de Paul Church has Tomasino Photakis excited. "It's an exciting place to have this recital not only because of its visual beauty," Photakis said, "but the acoustics of the church are such that they're a perfect fit for the choir."

Wicker Park Choral Singers will sing at St. Vincent de Paul Church (1010 W. Webster) at 8 p.m. tomorrow night and 2 p.n. Sunday at Grace Episcopal Church (120 E. 1st St., Hinsdale). Both performances are free.