Mission

 Cache Children’s Choir inspires and nurtures children
from diverse backgrounds to develop a lifelong love of singing,
greater self-esteem, and good citizenship through excellent
musical education and performance experiences.
Founded in 1987, Cache Children’s Choir is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

History

Russell Wilson organized Cache Children’s Choir in 1987. In 1989, Bonnie Slade took the reins of the choir as a
project for her masters degree in Communicative Disorders and fell in love with the developing child’s voice.
Bonnie started with a few singers and grew the choir to encompass 4 training levels. In the early 1990’s Leslie
Timmons joined the choir, collaborating with Bonnie to develop musicianship by weaving Orff-Schulwerk training into the rehearsals. This addition made CCC different from many other children’s choir programs nationwide. Over time a summer camp was added for children 12 and under. Under Bonnie’s leadership, the choir toured, commissioned and premiered new music, hosted a biennial ChoirFest and more. In 2011, after more than 20 years at the helm of CCC, Bonnie retired. In addition to her many musical achievements with the choir, Bonnie established and secured funding for the Horrigan Scholar Internship program, designed to provide teaching opportunities for select USU undergraduate choral education majors. She also secured 501(c)3 non-profit status and established an active parent board to support choir activities.

Sylvia Munsen assumed the role of Artistic Director from 2011-2016 and continued the tradition of commissioning new repertoire for children’s choirs with works by Rollo Dilworth and Bob Chilcott. She was succeeded by Claudia Bigler, who was appointed artistic director in 2016 after retiring from Box Elder High School. Claudia sustained the choir’s mutually beneficial relationship with the Music Department at Utah State University, providing practicum experiences for preservice teachers. Under her direction, CCC also became the official children’s choir for The American Festival Chorus and Orchestra, performing master choral works and concerts with guest artists Gentri and Kurt Bestor. During her tenure, CCC formed the foundation of the children’s choir for the Spike 150 event. In the fall of 2019, Claudia and the board identified the need for administrative support for the artistic director and created the position of Administrative Director.

In 2020, Claudia retired and Jaron Putnam was appointed as the Artistic Director and served for 3 years. Jaron brought his expertise as an experienced conductor, vocalist, and collaborator and his extensive connections to the local artistic community. Jaron began his tenure during the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown and led the choir through a virtual season followed by returning the choir to full functionality and dynamic growth. During his tenure, Jaron resumed the biennial ChoirFest and commissioned “On This Frozen Night” by Cache Valley composer and pianist Dan Tate. During Jaron’s tenure, the board of directors along with many in the community, created and funded an endowment to support the Horrigan Scholar Internship program in perpetuity and expanded and solidified the relationship between CCC and USU.

In July 2023, Chris Machado was appointed as only the fifth Artistic Director in CCC’s 36 year history. Prior to his appointment, Chris served as conductor for CCC’s Chorale choir while completing a Masters in Choral
Conducting at USU under the direction of Dr. Craig Jessop. Chris’s first experiences in choral music were in a
children’s choir and he says of this appointment, “Choir matters more today than ever as a place to build community, belonging, selflessness, dedication and hard work!” During Chris’ tenure, in addition to the CCC hosted concerts, singers sang in the USU Youth Conservatory’s Monster Concert and The American Festival Chorus’ Carnegie Hall Link Up. Under Chris’ direction, singers participated in an amazing tour that included the St. George Children’s Choir Festival.