How long does the Chorfolio last?

So far ten years! I first bought these for my high school choral program of 200 kids. They are still in use with many years left in them.

How do these compare with the standard leatherette folders?

The downside is that you can’t use a ChorFolio to perform unmemorized music out of. Well, you could, but it might be awkward. But what I’ve found over the past 8 years is that the quality of leatherette folders has decreased significantly, some of the stitching giving out after a year or two.

What do you do when you have to perform music that isn’t memorized?

I’m fortunate to be in an organization that purchases “The Black Folder,” the industry standard performance folder. Yes, they are over $20, but they only get used 5-6 times a year, and thus have lasted for over 8 years now. But, let’s face it, you could buy black paper folders for performances and throw them away after each concert and still come out ahead vs. paying $10 for a folder, have music fall out after rehearsal, dropped in a mud puddle… you get the idea.

What is the story behind the chorfolio?

If you’ve read this far, congrats. Usually people don’t dig this deep into a company’s story. Since you’re this far, you might as well hear the story. A decade ago I was frustrated that brand new $9 folders had stitches giving out after only one year. The next year I tried a inexpensive zippered pouches from a retail store. Most only lasted a few months before the zippers broke. A colleague told me about this sewing company that made a pouch for him. I tweaked the design a bit, and ordered enough for two organizations I work for. I encouraged them to market these for use, and, being a business primarily focused on creating solutions for companies and not customers, they said no. So, we streamlined a process to provide these great folios for choir directors at a reasonable cost.

Who are you?

My name is Garrett Lathe, a choir director in Central Minnesota. I am founder and artistic director of a community choir of high school students (the Youth Chorale of Central Minnesota), and am the choir director at a local middle school. My wife, also a music educator and conductor, and I have four kids who love to sing and sometimes help put sample ChorFolios in Priority Mail envelopes.