Welcome to the Web home of the Inland Children's Chorus!

This site is dedicated to preserving and making widely available the history and music of the Inland Children's Chorus, which was an original and historically unique contribution by American industry to young people and the performing arts.

The Chorus was sponsored from 1936 to 1970 by the Inland Manufacturing Division of General Motors Corporation to give 8- to 16-year-old children of Inland employees "a musical education and training which they otherwise might not be able to obtain and to make a contribution to the cultural life of Inland employees and the community." John D. O'Brien, General Manager of Inland, reflects on the history of the Chorus and suggests why a large corporation might value tradition and the performing arts (play audio recording). He delivered his remarks to a capacity audience on the day of one of the most damaging ice storms in the area's history. For Inland's history, visit the GM Heritage Center (link) or see Inland's 50th anniversary booklet.

Broadway theatrical designer and two-time Tony Award nominee Raymond Sovey developed the traditional staging and lighting for the concerts. The Chorus often performed with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, including the world premiere stage production of Benjamin Britten's Saint Nicolas. The Philharmonic's 70th Anniversary Commemorative Book (link) describes the Inland Children's Chorus as "one of Dayton's greatest by-products of industry."

Special Collections and Archives, located in the Wright State University Libraries in Dayton, Ohio, works with this website to collect and to preserve materials related to the Inland Children's Chorus (document MS-432). See photos from the meeting at Wright State to launch the Inland Children's Chorus Collection on the about us page.

Please help complete this history by sharing your comments or memories on the forum page and by contributing photos, recordings, or other materials to the website and Special Collections. For information, please write to alred@inlandchorus.com or call 262-512-3639.