About Us
The Loveland Choral Society, a Colorado Non-Profit Organization, whose purpose as a community performing arts group, is to learn, sing and perform a diverse repertoire of choral music, with accompaniment ranging from show band to symphony orchestra, encouraging member involvement in all aspects, raising the bar for community theater to semi-professional level.
LCS gives back to the community, not only through its entertaining, educational presentations of musical history, but also through benefit concerts, donating a portion of ticket sales, community outreach recitals and volunteer activities. In the process of creating quality musical, theatrical, and dance programs for our audiences at Loveland's historic Rialto Theater Center, we celebrate together our love of music, community and friendship.
A bit of history...
Initially, the group was known as Loveland Community Choir, Inc., and on February 22, 1978 Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Colorado Secretary of State. Tax-exempt status was granted by the IRS in September, 1984. The oldest bylaws on record appear to have been drawn up in February, 1983 for Loveland Community Choir, Inc. dba Loveland Choral Society. In 1998, the bylaws were revised stating that the organization was officially known as the Loveland Choral Society. In 2018, Loveland Choral Society celebrated the 40th Anniversary of being Loveland's only non-profit community choir.
Cliff Schultz began his tenure as artistic and musical director of Loveland Choral Society in the fall of 1991. Under his leadership and vision LCS has thrilled tens of thousands with over 80 productions and more than 250 performances. Every LCS concert/show seeks to entertain, educate and engage its audiences. Today, LCS is widely recognized and acclaimed as an accomplished and versatile choral performance ensemble, hailed for its distinctive style and creative approach to choral music.
Cliff graduated with a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Concordia University, Seward, Nebraska, and completed his Master of Music degree at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. His extensive forty-plus years of choral conducting experience includes church choirs, mass choirs, children's and youth choruses, select vocal groups, orchestral ensembles and his present position with Loveland Choral Society. An accomplished tenor, Cliff has performed in several community musical theater productions, been a featured soloist with local and national choral ensembles and is a professional voice instructor.
In 2014, Cliff was honored as one of seven recipients of the Cornerstone Award for his “vision, imagination and continued commitment to musical excellence, and whose work and example empowers other artists and community members to support and advance the arts for all of Loveland.” This award was presented at the groundbreaking of Artspace Loveland to founding members of the local arts community who had been instrumental in laying the groundwork for the arts in Loveland.
Cliff works as a Mutual of Omaha insurance representative. He and his late wife Cheryl were married for over forty years, have been residents of Loveland since 1980, and have three sons, Jeremy, Matthew and Caleb. All members of the family have performed with LCS. Cliff offers his heartfelt thanks to the dedicated audiences and patrons of Loveland Choral Society for supporting and appreciating LCS as a vibrant voice for the performing arts in our community.
Aviva first joined LCS 20 years ago in Cruisin’ thru the ‘50s. Over the years, Aviva has choreographed, directed, written script, and performed with LCS. She loves every minute of it and constantly reminds the cast, “We’re not doing this for fame or fortune so we better have fun!” The camaraderie of the members brings a level of energy to the performances that travels across the stage and pours into the audience. Aviva is recognized as a published author and parenting expert with degrees in adolescent behavior and educational psychology. She spends her days teaching at risk youth and uses music and her own over-the-top energy to engage her students.
Choreographer: Natalie Turner
Natalie's first experience with Loveland Choral Society was the 80s show and that's when she, like totally, fell in love with the group! Natalie loves the energy of the performers and the variety of music she and the cast get to tackle together. Natalie has been LCS's choreographer since 2013 and has risen to the challenge of teaching many different dance styles - from the 1920's Charleston to hip hop from Broadway's Hamilton! Natalie holds a theatre degree from UNC, which has proven useful in helping LCS stage all genres of musical theatre. Each spring, her passion is reignited as she works on creative and entertaining ways to choreograph LCS shows and make quality musical theatre take life on the Rialto stage.
Accompanist: Rachel Carlson
Rachel grew up on a Kansas farm, received her degree in Music Education from Kansas State University, and taught choral music in Kansas for thirteen years. While teaching, she earned a Master’s Degree in Music Education from Wichita State University. In 1997, Rachel left public school teaching to earn a Master’s Degree in Piano Performance from Florida State University. Since 1999, she and her husband have lived in Loveland, Colorado, where Rachel has been a collaborative pianist at UNC, Greeley. In 2010, Rachel was named Pianist of the Year at the West Central Regionals of NATS, held in Colorado. She has been with Loveland Choral Society since 2017 and is enjoying being part of the Loveland musical community.
Board of Directors:
The Board meets monthly, please contact Kathy Illick if you would like to attend!
Jeremy joined Loveland Choral Society in 1991 when his father was appointed Artistic Director. Other than when he attended college and the season his daughter was born, he has been a member ever since; singing with LCS is his favorite way to keep a close connection with his dad. Jeremy is passionate about supporting LCS as it strives to provide a great experience for audiences and choir members. He has served on the Board both as a Director at Large and now as President. Jeremy has worked in various corporate roles that include components of project management, strategic planning, and operational and budgetary oversight. He is currently Operations Manager at PlushGrass Custom Synthetic Turf.
Kathy has been a member of Loveland Choral Society since 1993, and has served on the Board of Directors for most of those years. She is currently the Board Secretary, and is involved in many of the behind-the-scenes activities that keep LCS going. Kathy is also an active member of the chorus and loves singing alto with the group. She has a great appreciation for the many life-long friends she has made in LCS, including her husband, Bob, and for the chance to be part of the fabulously entertaining shows that LCS is famous for presenting. Kathy recently retired as a legal assistant and is enjoying the retired life to the fullest.
Erica joined Loveland Choral Society in 2009 and the Board in 2012. She was thrilled to find a place to sing outside her car and shower. Erica loves to have the opportunity to sing so many different styles of music and to get to dance a little too. Her favorite solo performances include “Honey Bun” (South Pacific), “What I Did For Love” (A Chorus Line) and “Let It Go” (Frozen). She deeply treasures the joy and harmony of singing together with her LCS family, whether in rehearsals, on the Rialto stage, or in cathedrals in Europe. Erica has a degree in Chemical Engineering and an MBA and spent over 20 years in the high tech industry as an engineering and operations program manager. She currently owns and operates a bookkeeping and financial services firm.
Nance has been a member of the Loveland Choral Society for seven years and thoroughly enjoys being a part of this creative and inspiring group of people. She has been a Board member for six years and is responsible for print publicity and advertising. Recently retired, Nance stays very busy with numerous volunteer activities. In her spare time, she loves spending time with family and friends, traveling and gardening.
Director at Large (Fundraising and Sponsorships): Keith Colton
Keith found LCS in 2018 after a 25 year layoff from stage and choral performance, once his chosen career path and first major in college. He was referred by a dear friend from graduate school, and has been grateful to regain a once dormant part of his life. He loved LCS so much he joined the board. Keith has been a social worker for 20 years, and has been a therapist for 5 of those, beginning his career shortly after leaving music school, and comes to the board with 10 years of non-profit administration experience in volunteer management and fundraising. Keith also plays folk, bluegrass and pop in a small community band. Keith enjoys fly-fishing, camping, skiing and spending time with his son.
Director at Large (Social Media): Amanda Henderson
Possible open Board positions include:
Vice President
Music Librarian
Amanda began singing as a small child, and has always had a great love of music. She joined LCS in 2003, and found it to be a great outlet for singing, as well as a community. As a member of the board, Amanda hopes to give back to LCS. Using her sparse spare time, she provides social media information and promotion for the organization. She is currently a student of Aerospace Engineering at Colorado State University and an advanced motorcycle riding coach.