Harmony Central Chorus has a new home!

For the past five years, Harmony Central has rehearsed in the choir room at Grandview University. We have greatly appreciated the space and the relatively small donation made to the choir program each year for its use, especially during these recent post-pandemic years. But as we all know, when a space isn’t “yours,” it may not be ideal for your purposes. The choir room at GVU was small and included a baby grand, platform risers, chairs, and three steps of our risers with no fanny rail. As you can imagine, we didn't fit comfortably on the risers, there was no room to do choreography, and there was always a worry that someone would fall off the back step. It was a challenge to improve the chorus under these circumstances. It was also not the most inviting atmosphere when guests arrive in an already overcrowded space, and rehearsals can look rather chaotic in the midst of all the “stuff.”

After a couple of years of looking, we are happy to announce that we now have our own rehearsal space! We can be found on Thursday nights in room 120 at the Franklin Center in Des Moines. Franklin is a former junior high school that has been repurposed into a community-based center and hub for the arts and culture. HCC is thrilled to be in a permanent space again. Our risers are up. Our music files are in the room. We can store music and necessary paperwork, hold meetings and sectionals, and truly settle in. We even have mirrors on the wall so we can check our faces and movements! We now have reliable internet streaming for those who are unable to attend rehearsals. Rehearsal space is critical to chorus growth — we have definitely learned that lesson. Harmony Central Chorus is focused on expanding our imprint in the community, and being located within a community arts venue is a meaningful step toward that goal. Our hope is that we will soon outgrow our new space at Franklin and have to begin looking again. That would be a great problem to have!