The Edina Men’s Chorus will celebrate its 30th year this fall. The chorus consists of male students at Edina High School (EHS), graduates, adults and sometimes even grandparents. They sing at three EHS concerts throughout the school year and perform the national anthem at the homecoming game.
This intergenerational group bridges gaps between adults and youth in the community and creates a lot of fun for its members—probably the highlight of being in the chorus.
Robert Peterson started this group in 1986, 10 years after taking over the EHS choir program. He had heard a men’s chorus at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire that inspired him to start the group. Peterson had been in several men’s choruses during his studies at the University of Minnesota. He even sang as part of a barbershop quartet that landed a spot on the popular Kraft Music Hour with Perry Como in 1963. These experiences, along with the camaraderie of the men with whom he sang, made a lasting impression on him.
In the beginning, Peterson invited other faculty members, and then the fathers of his varsity and concert choir members to join. It wasn’t long before a teacher at the school also wanted in. The chorus grew from there. Students need not even be in choir to join, and men don’t need to have any connection to the choir to participate. Community was built through music from the beginning and the Edina Men’s Chorus “became glorious right away,” Peterson says.
In 1998, the chorus was invited to perform at Orchestra Hall, and performed at Colonial Church. “The whole community turned out,” Peterson says.
Peterson made the Edina Choir program strong during his tenure at the school. Many recall him fondly, and he keeps in contact with several of his former students. He retired from EHS in 1998, leaving a musical legacy. He handed the baton to David Henderson, an Edina Men’s Chorus participant for several years before taking the job.
Today, Henderson keeps the chorus going at 100 men strong, and many adult members keep coming back year after year. The music “is fun to sing and well suited to men’s voices,” says Dean Hoppe, who joined in 2002. Jon Victorsen, a member since 2004, adds, “It’s great support for a young man to have that camaraderie of their peers and father-figures. And the reverse is also true; it’s a great place for fathers to get to know their sons as equals.”
For Carl Grimsby, member since 2001, “it turned into a time to be connected with other male students and adults within the community that I normally would not experience.” All of the participants interviewed echoed this common theme.
Most of all, these guys have fun. Practicing for Current Jam, Victorsen says, “When the chairs are pushed aside and we start to move and learn dance steps for Current Jam, group silliness takes hold.” The combination of laughter and music has turned out to be one of the greatest strengths of the group. According to Henderson, “the formula works.”
The chorus rehearses at 7:15 a.m. on Wednesdays, and although most men would never miss a practice, sometimes it is harder convincing the students that practicing early on a weekday morning is worth it. But “once you get them in the door,” Henderson says with a smile, “they are hooked.”
Victorsen says, “Every week I look forward to Wednesday-morning practices. Even if we never performed in a concert, I would still enjoy showing up on Wednesday mornings.”
The requirements for joining the chorus? Says Tony Succio, member since 2003, “Show up, sit down and sing. That’s it. No auditions or membership dues. Everyone is welcome,” and there’s always room for more. Grimsby says it well: “Being a member of the Edina Men’s Chorus is guaranteed to put a song (or many) in your heart.”
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For more information about the choir, go to sites.google.com/a/apps.edina.k12.mn.us/edina-high-school-choirs/parent-survey.
