Davis Children's Chorale

In 1997, Rachel Day Kessler, a music teacher in the Davis school system, recognized that Davis Children needed more music instruction and music education than school classroom experiences could provide or fund. Together with her husband, Don Kessler, they founded Valley Artist Productions Inc to fund various music programs in the Davis Area. Davis Children's Chorale (DCChor) continues to operate under this umbrella. The foundation funds an extensive growing music library, uniforms, staff expenses, office expenses, accompanist expenses, archival recordings, tour and travel expenses, and student scholarships.

For the past 24 years, DCChor has enriched the community through song. In this year of quarantine, the DCCHOR continues to sing through isolation and shutdown via Zoom. DCCHOR children sang through the 2020 summer, culminating in a "Summer Showcase", and in the Fall and Winter 2020, provided the City of Davis with a Virtual Holiday Songs for their annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony, and also presented a Holiday Concert.

In normal times, the community is welcomed annually to a winter holiday concert, a spring concert, the Davis Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony, the Capitol Rotunda Holiday Music Concert, The Davis Farmer's Market concert, and a Memorial Day Concert. DCChor regularly performs for senior living facilities in the Yolo County region. DCChor is often asked to participate in concerts where children's voices are needed: The children lent their voices to the Davis Community Chorale in December 2018 to sing Benjamin Britten's St. Nicolas Cantata with full orchestra.

Although singing is the major goal, the children also develop musical and life-living skills. They learn to read music, rhythms, and harmonies. They sing in various languages and learn about other cultures and traditions through song. They learn to focus, learn, practice, and present themselves professionally. The Davis Children's Chorale provides a fun and rich learning environment, where children can joyfully express themselves.