Discover KSS
Enriching lives through choral excellence and community engagement...
Several choir members admiring the water feature behind Museum|London located in London, Ontario.

The evening exemplified the kind of multi-disciplined, multimedia artistic presentation that is possible when talented people combine their efforts in common purpose. It also illuminated once again why the innovative Jack Richardson Music Award-winning Karen Schuessler Singers continue to grow in popularity each year.

Richard Young, The Beat, May 2010

The Choir

The Karen Schuessler Singers is about music, but it’s also about much more than that. Its statements of purpose include words about creating environments where spirits are lifted, hearts are lightened and souls are deepened. There are words like integrity, innovation and maintaining high standards while remaining audience-friendly. The Karen Schuessler Singers is about music and what music can and should be able to do.

Choir members by the Thames River in London, Ontario Founded in 1993, the choir performs a minimum of three concerts every year. Concerts are theme-based and within each concert season there is much variety. Individual concerts may feature renaissance madrigals, baroque cantatas, opera choruses, gospel, Broadway, jazz, folk music, world music or even Brit-pop! Missa Gaia/Earth Mass and Road to Freedom concerts continue to win critical acclaim.

Education has become key. In rehearsals, singers are continually challenged to develop as artists. At concerts, Karen engages the audience by speaking to them about the music. It has proven to be a winning combination. The Karen Schuessler Singers, a 2009 winner of a Jack Richardson Award (Best Classical Choir) has become one of London, Ontario’s premier concert choirs.

Our Director

Karen Schuessler Even at an early age, Karen Schuessler knew that she wanted to become a musician. Music was a world she could live in. She reveled in exploring the moods and narratives suggested by each new piece of music that she learned.

Karen was born and raised in Michigan. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree at Michigan State University and a Master of Music degree in Organ Performance at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. In 1981 she moved to Canada. Through her vocations as an organist, teacher and conductor of choirs, including the University of Western Ontario’s award-winning women’s choir, Les Choristes, choirs at Wesley-Knox United Church, London, Ontario, where she is Director of Music, and her 38-voice community choir, the Karen Schuessler Singers, she has come to feel a profound sense of responsibility to share music with others – music in a broad range of genres – the rich and varied voices of composers of every time and place.

Today, Karen continues to explore, inviting singers and audiences alike to join her on a journey deep into the heart of the human soul.

Answers to some questions about KSS...

Tell us about the Karen Schuessler Singers' support organization. What is it like?
The Karen Schuessler Singers is a nonprofit organization governed by an eight-person Board of Directors drawn from a wide cross-section of the community. Board members are responsible for visioning, strategic planning, preparing grant applications, corporate and individual fundraising, community outreach and coordination of volunteers. The choir is also supported by an eight-person operations team responsible for publicity, program writing and design, ticket sales, stage management and house management—and by over 80 other non-choir volunteers.

What are the Karen Schuessler Singers' sources of revenue? How is this revenue spent?
Revenues come from ticket sales, grants, corporate sponsorships, donations, donations in kind for various services, choir fees, program advertising, and sales of CDs. Expenses include publicity, communications, purchase or rental of printed music, professional dues, director's honorarium, musicians' fees, business-related expenses, and donations to Wesley-Knox United Church for use of venue.

What is the relationship between the Karen Schuessler Singers and the choir at Wesley-Knox United Church?
They do have the same director! However, only six members of the Karen Schuessler Singers also sing in the choir at Wesley-Knox United Church.

Tell us about corporate sponsorship.
Companies and businesses are invited to fully or partially sponsor an individual concert or an entire season. Corporate sponsors are recognized by having their logos appear on brochures, posters and other printed materials, podium announcements, website recognition, and in many other ways. Corporate sponsorship makes it possible for the choir to engage the finest possible musicians and produce the finest possible concerts. Corporate sponsorship also creates a "snowball effect". Many private and public funding organizations consider corporate sponsorship when deciding how to allocate their resources. The more corporate sponsors the Karen Schuessler Singers has, the greater the chance that some of their resources will come the choir's way. Click here to learn more about corporate sponsorship.

Sounds like a great organization! I would like to support the Karen Schuessler Singers!
Donations to the Karen Schuessler Singers are very much appreciated. You will receive a letter of thanks, a receipt for income-tax purposes, and many other benefits. You will be helping to make the music—and the magic—happen! Click here to learn more about supporting KSS.