In Search Of Excellence

Community Choir putting it all together for Sunday performance.
 
Story and photos by Ken DeLaat

“Then the singing enveloped me. It was furry and resonant, coming from everyone's very heart. There was no sense of performance or judgment, only that the music was breath and food.”- Anne Lamott, Traveling Mercies

My choir experience is limited to a lip synching role in our elementary school’s Christmas Chorale. Thus, I’m unfamiliar with some of the intricacies involved in putting together a performance involving dozens of voices harmonizing in a way that creates a powerful musical presence.

This past Tuesday I stopped in during the River Country Community Choir’s rehearsal session to snap a few shots and write up a bit of info on the upcoming concert held at the Grant Fine Arts Center this Sunday.

What I saw and heard impressed me to no end. The three dozen or so voices were working through a segment of a song…not a song, mind you, a segment of a song. Over and over they followed the direction of Nancy Grabill as she put the quadrant of musical ranges through the repetitive practice that aims for excellence.

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This choir is made up of a range of ages and choir experience. Some have been part of the Community Choir for many of its performance years. Others came to the choir in more recent years and some are participating for the first time.

Our favorite former stand up comic and occasional N3 contributor Megan Wirts is a newcomer to RC3. We ran into her at the rehearsal and captured a few moments between sessions.

“I love Christmas and I love to sing Christmas songs. For years my friend Charlie Johnson (aka S.Claus) has said “Megan you should join the choir’ and I’d say “yeah’ and then I’d forget. Well, this year I finally remembered!” she said with a laugh.
 “I absolutely love this.. I haven’t been in a choir for over 20 years and just being part of this group is really fun.”

The singers regrouped and got back to the task at hand. And while I didn’t hear a complete song during my time prowling around the rehearsal hall, what I heard was a group of dedicated members of a choir committed to bringing what looks to be a quality performance to the GFAC.
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Don’t miss it.