The Ligia Grischa male choir was founded in 1852 at the suggestion of Pastor Gion Martin Darms. The first statutes of the choir were signed on February 6, 1853 by 24 members.
The choir was founded with the aim of promoting Romansh male singing and representing it at cantonal and federal singing festivals. The Ligia Grischa, as the choir is usually called, has done this regularly since its foundation.
During the first few years of its existence, the choir mainly had to struggle with organizational problems: where, when and how to hold singing practices with singers who lived far and wide. In those days, it was a difficult undertaking to gather singers from such a wide area. This difficulty persisted for a long time. Only with the opening of the Chur-Ilanz railroad line in 1903 and the Ilanz-Disentis line in 1912 did it become noticeably easier for members from more distant places to travel to the singing practices in Ilanz. Since most singers now have their own car, the journey has become even easier.
For the first seven decades, the Ligia Grischa male choir was conducted by amateurs, usually teachers. Only since 1924 has it been conducted by professional musicians. Robert Cantieni, the composer of the famous song "Chara Lingua da la mamma", was followed by Hans Lavater from Zurich, Walter Aeschbacher from Bern/Basel, Ernst Schweri from Chur, Gion Giusep Derungs from Surcasti/Chur and Peter Appenzeller from St. Moritz/Feldmeilen. Under all these professional conductors, the choir achieved many great successes in concerts and at national, cantonal and district singing festivals.
Since 2012, the choir has sung under the direction of Christoph Cajöri, who grew up in Thusis/GR and lives in Baden/AG.
The Ligia Grischa gives its members the opportunity to learn not only traditional Romansh songs but also more demanding musical works that cannot be sung in every village choir and to perform them at annual concerts or on special occasions. Anyone who enjoys singing and is prepared to take part regularly in the 15 to 20 rehearsals per year is welcome to join the Ligia Grischa men's choir. Singing rehearsals usually take place at the Ilanz school center on Sunday evenings from 7:00 to 10:00 pm.
