GRAFTON - The Great Rivers Choral Society invites the community to its Dueling Pianos Fundraiser.
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On Saturday, April 5, 2025, community members can come out to The Vineyards at 21028 Eckert Orchard Road in Grafton for a night of music, basket raffles, a nacho bar and more. Tickets cost $25 and all proceeds go back to the Great Rivers Choral Society (GRCS) and their mission to share music with the Riverbend.
“It’s just a very fun evening. This is the fourth year we’ve been doing it,” said President Pat Stewart. “We’re going on our 25th season, which is very unheard of, something definitely that we're very proud of.”
During the fundraiser, GRCS will offer a cash bar and a 50/50 drawing. The dueling pianists will accept tips and encourage sing-alongs. The choir will also perform.
You can purchase tickets online or call 618-798-1492 for more information. Stewart expects the event to be “very fun.”
She noted that this is one of two fundraisers that GRCS does every year to pay for their music, advertising, and the salaries of their music director and accompanists. As a nonprofit, GRCS relies on fundraisers and donations to share their music with the Riverbend.
Their concerts, including the upcoming “Spectacular: Melodies Stuck in Our Heads” concert scheduled for late April, are completely free to attendees. The choir is passionate about making music accessible to community members.
GRCS is also fundraising for an upcoming trip to New York City, where a few of their singers will perform at Carnegie Hall in June. Stewart noted that this trip will be “pricey,” so the choir is raising money to pay for “incidentals” to make it more affordable for the performers.
“It’s beyond exciting, to say the least,” she added. “It’s an experience of a lifetime.”
Stewart pointed out that community choirs like GRCS are increasingly rare, with many of them disappearing during the COVID-19 Pandemic. She expressed her appreciation for the Riverbend’s support, which has sustained GRCS through the pandemic and beyond.
GRCS will be commemorating its 25th season starting in August 2025 and continuing through 2026. Stewart said the choir is “very excited” to see what their “fantastic” director, Raynard Brown, has planned for the season.
She encourages the community to come out to support the choir and learn more about what they do at the Dueling Pianos Fundraiser on April 5. She noted that all ages and abilities are welcome to join the choir, and they’re always looking for more members.
“We have a lot of fun singing,” she added. “Everybody that’s in the choir is very passionate about singing, and you don’t have to be a professional, either…That’ll be our 25th season, which is pretty amazing, and we get to celebrate it by going to Carnegie.”
For more information about the Great Rivers Choral Society, including more information about the Dueling Pianos Fundraiser, visit their official website at GRCSSing.org.
