Our Director
Steven Joyal, Music Director
Steven Joyal is best known around southeastern Wisconsin as a Choral Conductor and Music Teacher. He currently serves as Conductor of the Racine Dairy Statesmen and the West Allis Heart of Harmony, two area barbershop choruses. In addition, he is the Coordinator for Traditional Music and organist at Atonement Lutheran Church in Muskego and he teaches K-8 music at St. Matthias and St. Gregory the Great Schools in Milwaukee.
Previously, he has been employed by the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District as an elementary music specialist and high school choral conductor, concluding his career there as Director of Choirs at both West Allis Central and Nathan Hale High Schools. He has also been Music Director and Conductor of the Bach Chamber Choir of Milwaukee, the Wisconsin Conservatory Children’s Chorus, the Suburban Singers, the Milwaukee Liederkranz, the Milwaukee Damenchor, and a member of the Artistic Staff of the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus and the Milwaukee Children’s Choir, along with several other chorus and church positions.
Mr. Joyal studied choral conducting under Morris Hayes at UW-Eau Claire, where he received a BME in Voice and Piano, and with Margaret Hawkins at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, from which he received a MM-Choral Conducting. His choirs have appeared with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Manhattan Philharmonic Orchestra (in both Avery Fisher and Carnegie Halls), the MYSO Senior Symphony, John Denver, Maureen McGovern, and Andy Williams, and with such acclaimed conductors as Kenneth Schermerhorn, Lukas Foss, Zdenek Macal, John Rutter, Margaret Hawkins, and Margery Deutsch. In addition, he has coached as a conductor with Robert Page, Roger Wagner, Paul Salamunovich, and John Rutter and as a singer with Gerard Souzay.
Support Us
Formed in 2006, we are a young but rapidly-growing organization. We sing many different styles of music – mostly in close, four-part harmony – but all in a fun, entertaining, family-oriented style.
We have performed at several Milwaukee-area venues for public and private shows, special events, nursing homes and patriotic celebrations. We are also the official West Allis Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, an international association with 30,000+ members. We are also proud members of the West Allis business community, and members of the West Allis and West Milwaukee Chambers of Commerce.
This is our hobby, and our shared passion, which means we’re not doing this to make money. In fact, we are organized as a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit charitable organization. One of our major efforts is to provide free concerts at West Allis and Milwaukee-area nursing homes, assisted living and senior centers. Another is to provide free vocal clinics and coaching at area schools. Still another is to provide low- or no-cost tickets for people to attend our public shows.
In order to do that, we need to cover our expenses, which include the costs of sheet music, arranger fees, music copyrights, uniforms and our professional director. Our members pay dues, we charge admission to our shows and we raise what we can through raffles and other small fundraisers. But it’s not enough to cover our expenses, so here is where we hope you can help.
Would you consider becoming a sponsor of the Heart of Harmony?
With your help, we can do these things, and help people experience the joy of music.
Your sponsorship will be generously recognized at all of our concerts and shows, in our marketing/promotional materials and on our web site (www.hohchorus.org). West Allis and the Milwaukee area will know that your contribution has helped to make our community a better place to live. Also, because we are a nonprofit charitable organization, your sponsorship is tax deductible.
Please consider a sponsorship of any amount. Contact us, at 888-464-4748 to discuss your support of the Heart of Harmony or donate here.
