The St. Charles Singers, led by founder and music director Jeffrey Hunt, will open its 41st concert season in October with “Time to Explore,” a program that illuminates how classical composers have availed themselves of folk melodies.

“Some of these works are rarely heard anywhere, and all but two are new to the St. Charles Singers’ repertoire,” Hunt said in a news release. “It’s the start of a season filled with musical discoveries that our choir will relish and that will surprise and delight our listeners.”

“Time to Explore” will be premiere at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, at Baker Memorial United Methodist Church, 307 Cedar Ave., St. Charles.

The mixed-voice chamber choir will give what it believes will be the American premiere of five of Dublin-born, Anglo-Irish composer Charles Stanford’s recently rediscovered, late-Romantic Irish folk songs. Stanford’s style reflects his love for Irish music and also German Romanticism, especially the music of Johannes Brahms.

Known for his serious, introspective vocal works, Johannes Brahms takes an uncharacteristically charming and mischievous turn in his “Zigeunerlieder” (Gypsy Songs), Op. 103, inspired by Hungarian folk music.

The St. Charles Singers co-commissioned Illinois composer Lee Kesselman’s “Hymn to Time” for mixed choir and piano. It’s a meditation on time, with lyrics by science fiction and fantasy author Ursula K. Le Guin. With soaring lyricism, the piece follows a circular path. The music suggests ticking clocks and Westminster chimes.

Composer and keyboardist Dan Messe wrote “Half Acre” for his critically acclaimed “countrypolitan” chamber-pop band Hem. Arranged for choir by Gregory Good, the piece reflects Messe’s affection for his native rural Michigan.

The music of Grammy-nominated composer Jake Runestad, a native of Rockford, is appearing more frequently on the St. Charles Singers’ programs. His “Come to the Woods” is based on writings by pioneering naturalist and conservationist John Muir. The song captures the exhilaration of waiting out a windstorm outdoors amid the trees.

“It’s a piece we’ve wanted to do for quite a while,” Hunt said.

Hunt reached far back into the ensemble’s history for one item on the program: Celebrated dance-band era singer and arranger Stuart Churchill’s arrangement of the Appalachian folk song “Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair.” The St. Charles Singers first performed the piece in the 1980s when they were the 12-member Mostly Madrigal Singers.

The St. Charles Singers first performed Shawn Kirchner’s “I’ll Be on My Way,” a song of reverence and free-wheeling joy, at its 2025 “Choral Connections” concerts in joint performances with local high school choruses.

Tickets and information

Single-admission tickets for “Time to Explore” are $50 for adults, $45 for seniors, and $12 for students. Group discounts are available.

Tickets and information are available at stcharlessingers.com or by calling 630-513-5272. Tickets may also be purchased at the door on the day of the concert, depending on availability.

Venturesome Vocalists

Sopranos performing in “Time to Explore” include Michelle Areyzaga of Arlington Heights, Karen Rockett, Batavia; Ingrid Burrichter and Chloe Hayes, Chicago; Jessica Heinrich and Kailey Kunstman, Elburn; Lydia Walsh-Rock, Forest Park; Meredith Taylor Mollica, Naperville; AnDréa James, St. Charles; and Marybeth Kurnat, Wheaton.

Altos are Margaret Fox, Batavia; Amy Bearden, Chicago; Mary Kunstman, Elburn; Jennifer Gingrich and Rachel Miller, Naperville; Chelsea King, North Aurora; Bethany Brewer, Palos Heights; Debra Wilder, Vernon Hills; and Karen Archbold, Wheaton.

Tenor section members are Brian Smith, Aurora; Rob Campbell, DeKalb; Bryan Kunstman and Bradley Staker, Elburn; Nicholas Metzger, Elgin; Stephen Mollica, Naperville; Andy Jeffrey, St. Charles; Jonathan Cramer, Waukegan; David Hunt, Wayne; and Steve Williamson, West Chicago.

Bass singers are Brandon Fox, Batavia; Antonio Quaranta, Berwyn; Douglas Peters, Chicago; Nate Coon and Brian Jozwiak, Crystal Lake; Chris DiMarco, Naperville; Michael Popplewell, North Aurora; and Drayton Eggleson, Sycamore.

Violinist is Wendy Benner of Chicago. Collaborative pianist is Stephen Uhl of Glen Ellyn.

St. Charles Singers

Founded and directed by Jeffrey Hunt, the St. Charles Singers is a chamber choir dedicated to choral music in all its forms. Hailed by American Record Guide as “a national treasure,” the mixed-voice ensemble includes professional singers, choral directors, and voice instructors, some of whom perform with other top-tier Chicago choirs. Among the St. Charles Singers’ prominent guest conductors have been renowned English composer Sir John Rutter, founder of the Cambridge Singers; Philip Moore, composer and former music director at England’s York Minster cathedral; and Grammy Award-winning American choir director Craig Hella Johnson. The choir launched in St. Charles in 1984 as the Mostly Madrigal Singers.