The Coles County Chorus
Coles County Chorus Invites Community to Joyful Christmas Concert with Holiday Classics and Special Guests
The Coles County Chorus is delighted to announce its annual Christmas Concert, a festive celebration of the holiday season filled with timeless carols, harmonious performances, and community spirit. This free event promises to uplift hearts and support local causes, making it a perfect outing for families, friends, and music lovers alike.
The concert will take place on Sunday, December 7th, at the Wesley United Methodist Church, 2206 4th St, Charleston, IL 61920. Doors open at 2:30 PM, with the performance beginning promptly at 3:00 PM. Admission is free, though a free-will donation will be collected at the door. All proceeds from these generous contributions will benefit Coles County food banks and homeless shelters, helping to provide essential support to those in need during the holiday season.
Attendees can look forward to a captivating program featuring beloved holiday songs performed by the Coles County Chorus, including:
- “Caroling, Caroling”
- “Deck the Halls” (with guest singers from Coles County and the surrounding area)
- “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
- “Mary Did You Know”
- “Oh! Holy Night”
- “Silent Night”
- “Sleigh Ride”
- “(Everybody’s Waitin’ for) The Man With the Bag”
Adding to the afternoon’s magic, special guest performers will join the chorus on stage, including appearances by the Huckleberry Friends Quartet, Tinnitus Quartet, and talented students from the Mt. Zion High School Barbershop Chorus Program. These collaborations will bring a unique blend of vocal styles and youthful energy to the festivities.
The Coles County Chorus (CCC), a registered chapter of The Barbershop Harmony Society, was founded in 1970 and boasts 32 active members. The group meets every Tuesday evening at 7:00 PM at the United Christian Church, 200 E Lafayette Ave, Mattoon, Illinois, and invites men to join them at any Tuesday rehearsal.
Recently, CCC joined with The Sound of Illinois Barbershop Chorus to compete in the Barbershop Harmony Illinois District convention, and took first place in the competition with two original barbershop arrangements of songs from “Elf The Musical.” Looking ahead, CCC will team up with The Sound of Illinois again to perform and compete at the 2026 Barbershop Harmony Society International Convention in St. Louis on July 3rd and 4th. For more information, including directions, updates or joining the CCC singers at a rehearsal, please contact Charlie Niehaus at cniehausacusd@gmail.com or call 618-335-9237.
Congratulations to the men of The Coles County Chorus and The Sound of Illinois on their win in the 2025 Barbershop Harmony Society Illinois District Competition on September 27th!
At the 2025 Illinois District contest SOI/CCC sang two original Dan Wessler arrangements from “Elf the Musical”, – “I’ll Believe in You / Sing A Christmas Song” and “Sparklejollytwinklejingley”. The contest was only the second time these two songs were ever performed on stage and got teary eyes from the ballad and a standing ovation from the up tune.
CCC would like to thank all our brothers from The Sound of Illinois for taking us along on this ride! Special thanks to the SOI directors Terry Ludwig and Tim Beutel for the expert directing and interpretation of these two great Christmas Songs! And of course thanks to all the men of the CCC for their hard work, dedication and beautiful singing.
With this win SOI/CCC qualify for the International Competition / Convention in St. Louis, MO which will be from June 28th to July 5th, 2026. We are ready to bring the world some Christmas in July!
We Invite You To Sing With
Coles County Chorus In Our Christmas Concert!
CCC is inviting men from central Illinois to join us and sing “Deck The Halls” in our December 7th Christmas concert! If you would like to join us you can fill out the Sing With CCC for Christmas online form or email cniehausacusd@gmail.com for answers to questions and more information.
We look forward to singing with you!
Who is The Coles County Chorus?
The Coles County Barbershop Chorus is one of the Premier a’capella mens harmony organizations in Illinois. Creating wonderful harmonies every Tuesday evening, this group of dedicated men constantly strive to improve our vocal abilities from both a technical and artistic perspective. We believe that music has the power to change lives and we are excited to have the chance to share our love of the Barbershop Style of harmony with diverse audiences.
One of the foundation tenets of our organization is the desire to give back to the communities in which we live. We do that by supporting various local charities and the vocal music programs of area High Schools. We, annually, donate thousands of dollars in support of those who are, themselves, working to make this a better world – teachers, community servants and many others.
Wanna sing?
We are always seeking ‘men of good character’ to join us in our never-ending quest to create musical art. There are no professional musicians in our group, not that you can’t join us if you’re a pro 🙂 We are, simply, a group of amateur singers and musicians, from an incredibly diverse background, who love to sing. If you love music the way we do and you would like to come and see what we are all about; if you want to be a part of something wonderful, something life-changing, come check us out!
We meet every Tuesday evening at 7:00pm. Our meeting place is the United Christian Church in Mattoon, Illinois located at 200 E Lafayette Ave.
It’s GREAT to be a Coles County Barbershopper!|
A Surprise!
It may look like there are a lot more guys on stage and you may not recognize them. Keep checking back and we will explain it all!
Who Does CCC Donations Help?
We would like to thank all the folks that came out to see our Lenten concert. With your helped we raise $2,000 which will go to two Coles County homeless shelters and two Coles County food pantries. Thank you for your support. We thought you might like to know who you are helping out when you donate at a CCC performance.
Charleston Area Churches Food Pantry provides food to families and individuals every 30 days and three days worth of emergency food to residents of Coles County. They provide food for more than 250 households, and 800 individuals each month. In November of 2022 alone they served 7,614 meals. Find out more about them at the Charleston Food Pantry website or visit the Charleston Area Churches Food Pantry Facebook page. The food pantry is located in the same building as the Charleston Habitat for Humanity at 990 W. State Street Charleston, IL
HOPE of East Central Illinois services include shelter, transitional housing, legal advocacy, counseling, referrals, a 24-hour crisis line, children’s services and public education. All services are free and confidential. Their 24 hour toll-free crisis line can be reached by calling 1-888-345-3990. Find out more information about HOPE by visiting the HOPE OF ECI website or visit the HOPE OF ECI Facebook page.
Mattoon Community Food Center was established in 1986,and is located at 600 Moultrie Ave in Mattoon, IL. They can be contcated by calling 217-258-9321 or drop by the food center during business hours. For more info visit the Mattoon Community Food Center Facebook page.
The Haven Shelter provides shelter, food and services to individuals and families facing housing and food insecurity, while promoting awareness and supporting long-term solutions. The Haven offers a safe, supportive environment with overnight accommodations, including access to laundry and shower facilities. Their community kitchen provides free, nutritious meals daily from 12 PM – 1 PM and 5 PM – 6 PM. Meals are available for pick-up at the door. For more information visit The Haven Website or The Haven Facebook page.
