The Gar Lockrem Community Choir Inc

GLCC performs free concerts and promotes music education through grants to local schools K-12 and through community outreach efforts.

The Gar Lockrem Community Choir was formed in the fall of 2006 and obtained 501(c)(3) status in 2009. This full SATB chorus of 55 current active members performs 6-7 free concerts around the Twin Cities each year. Singers range in age from late teens to mid-eighties. In addition to providing superb live choral experiences for audiences, the choir also provides a creative outlet for the artistic skills of its singers and musicians.

GLCC promotes music education through grants to local achools K-12, and through community outreach efforts. Since 2009, GLCC has disbursed $2,000 in grants to local schools and is slated to disburse another $1,000 in grant money during the current fiscal year. At least 10% of money raised through charitable donations are devoted to school grants. The remaining money raised goes to pay for operational costs and live concerts, including sheet music, rehearsal space, concert venues, and musicians.

GLCC strives to educate the public on the many important benefits of music education in public schools, while also providing a platform for its singers to reap the life-long benefits of learning and performing new music.

The choir performs challenging classical and contemporary choral pieces from around the world, focusing on a wide range of themes, cultures and religious traditions.

GLCC was founded by Elizabeth Bertz Westlund and is named after the late Garland O. Lockrem, a beloved music teacher from Henry Sibley High School who championed accredited music programs in public schools long before the full benefits of music education were known. GLCC continues this mission.