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ember is a community choir in rural SW Wisconsin directed by Anni Zylstra. We sing polyphonic folk songs from European and American traditions, with a primary focus in regions such as the Celtic Isles, Georgia, the Balkans, and Ukraine. We are an all-voices welcome choir that sings for the purpose of inciting joy, building community, cultural enrichment, growing as singers, and honoring traditional folk music. We learn primarily through oral tradition style call-and-response aided by lyric sheets and occasional sheet music, which helps make this music accessible to singers of all experience levels. To learn more about what we do, please visit our FAQ or see the 2023 article written about our group by Margot Higgins.
Join Our Winter Season!
Thursdays, 7-8:45 PM
January 15 - April 16

Ember is back with a 12-week sprinter (spring/winter!) semester! We are once again offering a hybrid in-person and virtual edition of choir, beginning mid-January and ending mid-April, with two grace weeks built in for illness or weather events. If those off-weeks are not used, participants will enjoy two bonus sessions, making it a 14-week course.

Classes take place from 7:00 - 8:45 PM Thursdays in our gathering space at Nature Nooks Retreat, a 10-minute drive from Viroqua-town. Because our repertoire is learned cumulatively over time, we ask members to register for the full term with weekly attendance highly encouraged but ultimately the responsibility of attendees.

For new prospective members, be sure and read through our course FAQ which contains details about who this group is for, how the choir works - especially for virtual or hybrid members, course refund policy, info about our group culture, and more. 

* While we are traditionally an all-inclusive, no experience necessary group, we are currently prioritizing treble voices for sound blending purposes, and if you are a lower range voice, we may ask for a brief audition prior to joining. 

 
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Registration

Registration

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Dues for Winter Term 2026​

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12 Week Season: $180

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We are open to international participants! Just select the Paypal / International option in the form.

 

Dues breakdown to $15 / 2-hour class. Your choir dues cover: All class time hours, access to home practice materials, individual part recordings and source recordings, any guest instructors and ethnomusicology collaborators, various web and payment platform fees, song licensing fees, space rental, organizing time for special events, mutual aid donations to relevant causes, and time spent preparing the class and the continued education necessary to continue this work. 

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