Serving the community for 5 decades…and counting.
Our Beginnings
The idea for LeagueAires was born in the early 1960s, when four young women — Ruthy Frenzel, Mandy Johnson, Mary Kunz, and Patty Strong — sang together at an alumnae meeting for Skidmore College. They enjoyed singing together so much, they expressed interest in forming a regular singing group. A few months later, they performed in a talent show for the Junior League of Minneapolis (JLM). It was then that they began to dream of turning their love for music into a community mission.
(Pictured above from left to right: Irene Woodhead Heiam (a charter member), Ruthy Frenzel, Mandy Johnson, Mary Kunz, and Patty Strong)
The women presented a new idea to the JLM Board to foster artistic involvement between JLM and the community by using music as a way to serve. The JLM Board did a thorough assessment that confirmed both the need and opportunity to serve the community in this way, as well as garnered enthusiastic support from JLM volunteers. In 1966, the Board approved the formation of a new women’s choral ensemble, LeagueAires. Read more about our history.
LeagueAires Today
What began in 1966 with 18 women from the Junior League of Minneapolis has grown today to a dynamic choir of nearly 60 women, including both members of the JLM and women from the community at large.
LeagueAires annually sing at more than 40 venues throughout the Minneapolis and St. Paul metro area, including senior residences, nursing homes, businesses serving individuals with special needs, and schools for children with special needs. During each performance season, LeagueAires touches over 5,000 lives and, as a group, volunteers approximately 10,500 hours. Today, LeagueAires continues its’ over five-decades-long mission as a service project sponsored by the Junior League of Minneapolis.
Experience the Story for Yourself
The real story of a LeagueAires performance isn’t what happens on stage, but the connections that happen in the audience. We invite you to come and hear one of our performances in person to experience the mission in action. Visit our Performance Schedule page for upcoming events. In the meantime, enjoy this video from a recent LeagueAires’ Community Performance at Colonial Church, which is primarily presented for our families and friends. We hope this puts a song in your heart!