In the fall of 1991 our Artistic Director Grayson Hirst, professor of voice at the University of Arizona, founded Sons of Orpheus—The Male Choir of Tucson as a community-based choral organization with the aid of a UA College of Fine Arts Faculty Incentive Grant to promote the vocal and choral leadership of the University of Arizona School of Music. Twelve men, some borrowed from local church choirs, formed the original group.

In the first few years, our performances were generally limited to a few “mini-concerts” plus an annual Spring Gala; but from the beginning we have sung in several foreign languages. Programs have consisted of romantic songs from Mexico, songs by Stephen Foster, Gregorian chants, operatic choruses, Spanish-American pieces, Welsh chorales, sea shanties, Cole Porter songs, Robert Frost poems set to music by Randall Thompson, and a growing collection of classic “cowboy” selections.