About Us

The Arbor Consort (TAC) is a semi-professional group of people who share a common interest in singing madrigal music. We sing for the fun and pleasure of making music together, and enjoy working to perform music of the Renaissance and Victorian eras.

We provide educational opportunities to our members and audiences by promoting an awareness of Renaissance madrigals, Victorian carols, and other a cappella music. We attract singers of many skill levels, and seek to provide opportunities for the musical advancement of amateurs and the enrichment of professional singers. This collaboration, in a spirit of fun and musicianship, makes for a lively and rewarding experience.

The Arbor Consort, originally known as Our Lady Madrigal Singers (OLMS) in reference to Queen Elizabeth I, was formed in the summer of 1982 by a group of choir members from several local churches who wanted to try a different style of choral music. Their main purpose was to enjoy singing in the company of friends; performing was a distinctly secondary concern. Under the directorship of Virginia Birchler, they learned ten madrigals from The Oxford Book of English Madrigals which they performed at the Ann Arbor Medieval Festival. At the end of the third year, a Christmas season of traditional caroling was added. This proved to be an immense musical and commercial success, and has remained an important part of each year’s performance schedule.  As the group grew and developed, OLMS was renamed The Arbor Consort. The membership of TAC is dynamic, and includes singers of many backgrounds and skill levels. Today, we retain the atmosphere of fun and fellowship that characterized that inaugural group in 1982.