Who is ECU?

Elgin Choral Union (ECU), under the direction of Andrew Lewis, is the oldest performing arts organization in the Fox Valley. At 100 plus voices and growing, the organization of non-professional singers work closely with other performing arts groups in the area.

In residence at Elgin Community College, ECU performs regularly at the  Performing Arts Center's Blizzard Theatre as well as other locations throughout the Fox River Valley. The chorus has distinguished itself by its ambitious programming, performance of master choral works, contemporary composition and commissioning several world premieres.

Moving forward, ECU looks toward the future with great anticipation, endeavoring to pass the torch of choral singing to future generations.

Andrew Lewis, Music Director

In addition to being the Music Director of the Elgin Choral Union, Andrew Lewis is the Artistic Director of Bella Voce, Chicago's premiere professional chamber choir. He also holds the posts of Music Director at Glenview Community Church in Glenview, cover conductor for the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, and founder and Artistic Director of The Janus Ensemble. Additionally, Lewis serves on the conducting faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He formerly taught conducting at DePaul University, has been a guest lecturer at Concordia University and Garrett Theological Seminary, and was artistic director of the Lutheran Choir of Chicago.

Lewis attended Northwestern University, studying music theory and voice. While a student at Northwestern he was provided with a scholarship to observe the rehearsals of Daniel Barenboim and Asher Fisch at the Staatsoper-Unter-den-Linden, Berlin. After college he worked as a church musician and was an original member of the Philharmonia Baroque Chorale of San Francisco, having sung with baroque specialists Nicholas McGegan and John Butt. He then attended the Eastman School of Music to study choral and orchestral conducting with William Weinert and David Effron. Lewis has also studied with conductors Helmuth Rilling, Robert Shaw, Robert Spano, James Paul, Gustav Meier, Stephen Cleobury, Duain Wolfe, and Dale Warland in the United States and Michel Tapachnik in Copenhagen, Denmark. Lewis is married to singer and conductor Kirsten Hedegaard. They have three young sons: George, William, and Henrik.