Yvonne Orlich
The feedback has been so good. Those in attendance at the Chorale Spring Concert were “energized,” “entertained,” very “satisfied.” These are some of the words used to describe their feelings after the concert. The song selection was energetic and fun, and the spirit was contagious.
This Spring Concert brought back the fun, mature voice of Jack Perin, a former club singer. His “scat,” along with that of Sally Holberg, was just plain fun! We heard from Jay Hershorin, a new soloist to many of us, and a brief shout-out from Betsy Kociuba. The soprano/alto duet by Jodi Mattson and Sally Holberg was truly heartwarming. From scat to “Route 66”—a real toe-tapper—to the melodic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” we went from high tempo and catchy phrases to smooth and wistful lyrics. Some oldies like “Rhythm of Life” and “Blue Skies” brought back great memories of music from an era when music could be understood. No rap here! And we did numbers like “The Wellerman” and “Ding Dong,” which were simply fun to perform. As always, the history and origins of these numbers were narrated by Merrie Crawford with tones of both information and wit.
Rehearsals for all these numbers were skillfully taught by Rob Swanson. Of course, Caroline Brown carries us with her fantastic piano prowess, and BJ Van Noy adds extra elements of intrigue, background, and rhythm to all our selections. And we would be remiss if we did not thank “Wilson,” our sound tech, and “Matsumi,” our guest accompanist. All these people serve to enhance an already entertaining program. Thank you to all of them and to all our singers for their devotion and hard work. We thank each and every person who came out to hear us. We hope you were uplifted and entertained.
Thank you, too, to all our members. We put in an inordinate amount of time and energy to learn new songs and resurrect some older, previously performed numbers, and we do it all to bring an hour of fun and happiness to our audience. We sincerely hope you were entertained and will come back in December to hear us again.
On another topic, we welcome our new board of directors: Yvonne Orlich, president; Kay Tymn, vice president; Dan Morson, treasurer; Karen Sproates, recording secretary; Linda Market, corresponding secretary; Wes Davis and Beth Wyman, directors at large; and Kit Carlton, past president/consultant.
Lastly, if you are a Sun Lakes resident and you like to sing, please come join us. There is no “audition,” just a quick section placement test. We will start up again on Sept. 8, with our projected Holiday Concert on Dec. 11. After a brief holiday break, we will begin spring rehearsals on Jan. 5, 2026—already! Our Spring Concert is scheduled for March 26, 2026.
It’s been hard work and fun all rolled into one, and we will now take a much-deserved break. Have a great summer, and see you in September.