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Proudly Bringing You

Education, Engagement and Entertainment Through Choral Music

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“Join Together with the Band…”

Do you love to sing? Are you interested in singing with others who love to sing? Then, the Greater Northern Choral Association is for you! The GNCA is a non-audition volunteer choir located in the Central Wisconsin area for anyone and everyone who wish to experience the joy of singing in a welcoming, inclusive community! No experience is needed—just a love for music and a willingness to share your voice. Singing together is a great way to relieve stress, make new friends, and be part of something meaningful. Whether you’re looking to lift your spirits or give back through music, the GNCA offers a fun and fulfilling way to connect. 

To reach out for more information, or to jump right in and get started singing your heart out, please email us at info@gncawi.org

Come as you are and let your voice be heard!

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Our Mission

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Connecting People Through choral Music

Music has a profound ability to connect communities by transcending language, culture, and social barriers, fostering a shared experience that strengthens bonds among individuals. It serves as a powerful tool for communication, enhancing group identity and facilitating social integration. When people come together to listen, sing, or play music, they engage their minds and bodies in a way that synchronizes their movements and thoughts, creating a sense of unity and belonging.  At GNCA we wish to facilitate such bonds to achieve:

Community Unity Through Song

Shared Musical Experiences

Harmonious Social Engagement

A Vocal Collective Fellowship

All through the instrument of music!

Support Our Mission

Your donation means a lot to Us.

We can’t do this without your help. All funds used to put on our free concert are done by the gracious donations that we receive from our audience members, community members, choir members and community grants. Every little bit helps. Please consider donating to our organization so we may continue to provide high quality choral music to the members of the North Central Wisconsin.

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Our Choral Journey

Where it all began…

The origins of the Greater Northern Choral Association (GNCA) trace back to late 1997 when I was a Bass in the Concert Chorale at the former University of Wisconsin-Marathon County (UWMC) in Wausau. Under the direction of Professor William F. Day, now one of our artistic directors and conductors, the Concert Chorale collaborated with the Wausau Symphony & Band, led by Dr. Patrick Miles, and faculty soloists from the Wausau Conservatory of Music for a December performance of the Christmas section of Handel’s Messiah. To strengthen the 50-member UWMC choir, Mr. Day recruited singers from his church choir, private voice studio, and Wausau Community Theatre productions.

This Messiah performance followed a tradition of biennial renditions dating back years, but in 1999, the concert was restructured into a sing-along format without UWMC’s participation. Over time, Messiah resurfaced through Wausau Lyric Choir concerts in 2001, 2004, and 2008, but then disappeared from the local stage until 2022. That year, Chester L. (Chet) Suski, a longtime arts supporter in hospice care, funded a revival of the oratorio at the Grand Theater, led by Dan Larson of the Wausau Symphony & Band. Mr. Day was again tasked with assembling a choir, bringing together his church singers and former UWMC students from past Messiah performances. After months of rehearsals at St. Paul’s UCC, the Palm Sunday 2022 concert was a success. I was set to perform the Bass aria The People That Walked in Darkness, but due to illness, Mr. Day stepped in, ensuring the performance remained seamless.

Encouraged by this success, Mr. Day proposed Mozart’s Requiem for 2023, as it had not been performed in Wausau since the mid-1990s. With support from the Chester L. Suski Arts Fund and returning singers from Messiah, rehearsals began in January 2023 at St. Paul’s UCC, culminating in a Palm Sunday concert at the Grand. This time, I was able to perform the Bass solo, Tuba Mirum. However, in 2024, the Chester L. Suski Arts Fund prioritized an orchestral performance by the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields over the choir’s spring concert. Despite this, the choir continued rehearsing, formally rebranding as the Greater Northern Choral Association (GNCA) in Spring 2024. Rather than performing a single large work, they presented a diverse selection of choral pieces, from Mozart to African World Music and African American Spirituals. The concert was moved to Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, where the Wausau Symphony & Band accompanied select pieces.

In December 2024, the choir embraced a new tradition of Christmas caroling and planned its Spring 2025 Palm Sunday concert at Holy Name of Jesus Parish. With WS&B occupied collaborating with the Wausau Lyric Choir on Lamb of God, the GNCA will independently present works by Randall Thompson, Handel, Mozart, Alice Parker, and William Dawson, continuing its mission to bring choral excellence to the Wausau community.

Jason Zell

Co-Founder & Historian