Bloomington Chorale started out in 1982 as the Normandale Choral Society, which is what they incorporated as in 1985. It was a mixed community chorus that was also non-audition, and it was very dear to the community. In 2003, Normandale Community College faced budget cuts and could no longer afford to fund the Normandale Choral Society.

The community chorus scrambled to find a solution because they wanted to continue singing together. They renamed themselves Bloomington Chorale, and in the same year, a center for the arts was open in the new civic plaza. They secured themselves a place in the Bloomington Center for the Arts, and they put on their first concert in December of that year. They had 14 members in the chorale and 99 people in the audience. They have grown to 90 members in 2024.