At The Jewish Community Center

I walked up to the entrance of the Jewish Community Center and found Alex waiting outside. We walked inside to see where we were warming up. I saw the various activities going on as part of the day. I walked up to two women and realized one of them was Gia, who had helped set up our concert. I complimented her on her shiny silver headband and then I took off my hat to reveal my shiny gold one. “It’s obviously ‘Shiny Headband Day’,” she said in solidarity with a smile on her face. Alex and I then went down to the lower level and met Noella and several other choir members along the way. The room where we would rehearse had obviously changed. Back up one flight again. We rehearsed a bit with a little lift from Lily’s delicious homemade sweet potato latkes and then it was time to begin. We were not allowed any musical accompaniment or even a pitch pipe for this performance in respect for the Holidays. In the JCC setting, we definitely included Chiribim as part of our program and included Od Yavo. The day was filled with family activities including face painting and this was obvious from the families and children in attendance.

Our performance began with our signature opening number, Siyahamba. Gail and Lily provided lovely vocal support in our song of welcome, Wanemo. Od Yavo was fun and spirited as we sped up and slowed down at various points and built up momentum towards the end under Rene’s direction. Next was the Gaelic song, Geantri. One of our core repertoire songs, Michael Row the Boat Ashore followed. During this song, an adorable toddler in a navy blue and yellow shirt and overalls kept trying to grab the words we had handed out from his mother’s hand as she was trying to sing the words from the sheet. She eventually walked out with her toddler--guess he wanted to sing too. The Yiddish song, Chiribim, was next with spirited vocals and introduction by Lily. A lovely acapella version of Light One Candle followed. Next was the sing-along Down by the Riverside. Kwanzaa Song was on the original program but as we realized that it was a holiday song, it was excluded from this concert. The sing-along Rock-A-My-Soul was next followed by a lovely acapella Give Us Hope and the Peace of Heart Choir anthem, a lovely Let There Be Peace on Earth.

It was nice to look out into the audience and see several familiar faces from last year’s outreach at the JCC. After the concert, a lady thanked us for an enjoyable concert. I saw a happy child with brightly colored paint decorating their face who had just participated in the face painting activity. It was so nice to have again been part of this annual event.

-Choir Singer

It has become a tradition for a member of POHC to do a post-concert write-up. It started when our Sign-up Coordinator began emailing her summaries to the other members in order to entice newer members to sign-up to sing at community concerts held early in the season. It didn’t take long for Concert Write-ups to become greatly anticipated amongst our members, so we share them here in hopes that you’ll join us at a future concert

At The Queens Public Library

I walked off the bus and I made my way across the intersection. I could see the Flushing branch of the Queens Public Library from across the way decked out in holiday regalia, a Christmas tree with brightly colored lights with a menorah by its side. The scene stood out in downtown Flushing amidst the endless shops and bus stops and hustle and bustle of this neighborhood—a brief bit of serenity to counteract the hubbub this holiday season. I advanced towards the sparkling lights and found Alex waiting on the steps. I walked in and Gary was there to welcome us and direct us to where we would be warming up. Alex and I joined the other choir members.

We put our belongings in what was essentially a dressing room complete with lighted mirrors.We warmed up a bit. It was a beautiful concert hall. It was most definitely a community concert—families and children filled the seats--around 90 people were in the audience. The lights drowned out most faces beyond the first row. We could clearly see the family sitting in the front row. The mother and father told their daughter to be quiet throughout the performance. She was playful, adorable, dressed in hot pink from head to toe from her top to her winter boots. She put a smile on all of our faces. We began with our signature opening number, a rousing Siyahamba. Next was a melodic Wanemo with lovely solos by Gail and Lily. We followed it up with a different turn, the fun, Ukrainian holiday song, Carol of the Bells.

Next we did a breakneck Geantri. Marv provided spirited musical accompaniment on guitar to Michael Row the Boat Ashore. The concert continued with the James Taylor standard, That Lonesome Road, with fine vocals by Gary. The Carole King classic You’ve Got A Friend had lovely vocal support from Gail and Wilfred and pretty musical accompaniment by Evelyn on violin. Our Maori love ballad, Pokarekare Ana, was next and our sound benefited from the fine musical accompaniment by Marv on guitar and Rene on ukelele.

The anti-war anthem Down by the Riverside was given a nice boost by Marv on guitar. Usually many of us go out into the audience to shake hands at the appropriate part but as this was on a stage and there were side steps leading down into the audience, only a few choir members answered the call and ventured into the audience to shake hands. Kwanzaa Song found the ladies in fine form. Marv provided fine musical support to Rock-A-My Soul. Our voices lifted in song for the Jim Papoulis plea for the future of our children, an acapella Give Us Hope. This song was quite fitting in an audience filled with families and their children. We concluded with the anthem of our choir, a very lovely Let There Be Peace on Earth. As Rob noted, ‘we wish for peace, so desperately needed right now in our world.’

And so, we took our bows as instructed by Rene to enthusiastic applause. Right after the concert, we spoke with Gina, the events coordinator. She thanked us for coming and noted not only the nice size of the audience—around 90—but also the positive reaction. She was very pleased. As we walked out into the lobby, we saw the same couple from the front row with their adorable little girl—a vision of hot pink exuberance and still as playful and active as during the performance. Her parents began to apologize for her. Then Gary smiled and indicated that was nothing he hadn’t seen from his own children in their time or in any little ones of a certain age for that matter. The couple thanked us and told us they had enjoyed the concert. Funny how everything always comes full circle.

The concert over, we all headed out into the crisp night air—some of us taking a fun-filled ride with fellow choir members back to Manhattan and various other points and another small group of us including me taking advantage of the fine Asian cuisine in this Queens enclave, sharing a Vietnamese meal together. It had been a lovely outreach--our only one in Queens this season.

-Carrie, Choir Singer

It has become a tradition for a member of POHC to do a post-concert write-up. It started when our Sign-up Coordinator began emailing her summaries to the other members in order to entice newer members to sign-up to sing at community concerts held early in the season. It didn’t take long for Concert Write-ups to become greatly anticipated amongst our members, so we share them here in hopes that you’ll join us at a future concert

At a Domestic Violence Shelter

We performed at a Barrier Free Living domestic violence shelter. Due to high security around the shelter, no photos were taken at this outreach. It was two days before Thanksgiving and it was easy to miss the location—in fact, Gary and I almost walked past it at first. We met Rene and a small group of choir members inside. We displayed our IDs at the front desk and made our way to the room downstairs where we would rehearse and leave our belongings. We actually equaled over 20 singers at this outreach which is quite impressive considering it was arranged on such short notice. We did our vocal warm-up, rehearsed some of our repertoire and began to make our way upstairs.

Wonderful photos of residents lined the hallway—really candid shots which were so real and beautiful at the same time--photos that I would later find out were actually taken by the CEO, Paul Feuerstein. As I walked into the dining room where we would be performing, a young girl perhaps twelve-years-old held the door open for me and told me with a warm, welcoming smile that I looked pretty. We lined up according to our respective sections and we knew it was going to be a tight fit, but that was ok

There was a homey feel about the room. There were 17 tables with Thanksgiving-themed tablecloths with arrangements of pumpkins and gourds. Smells of the Thanksgiving meal filled the air. A fellow choir member noted to me that the smells were making her hungry. There were more than 100 people in attendance mostly women and children with a small number of men.

We launched into our signature opening, Siyahamba. The sounds of welcome continued with the lovely sounds created by us on Wanemo. Pocarekare Ana sounded so pretty in the dining room. One of this season’s new songs, Chiribim, introduced and performed beautifully by Leslie was a big hit with the children. The audience was having fun. There was such an excitement, particularly from the young people. But then again pretty early on, it became obvious that we had a fan club at this outreach. The wide smiles, clapping and singing along were priceless and very touching. You would not know the distress or the trauma that our audience have experienced, but only feel the joy of our audience—women, children, and a few men all in the moment.

During Down by the Riverside, we ran out into the audience to shake hands and there was such warmth I felt. Kudos to Dave and Marv for fine musical accompaniment throughout. Dave was going to perform the solo in James Taylor’s That Lonesome Road but couldn’t find his glasses. There was a mad dash to find his glasses and when it was apparent they wouldn’t turn up, Nancy stepped in with a lovely solo. Nancy and Gary partnered up for the Carole King classic, You’ve Got A Friend. Ruth pointed out that Give Us Hope was an anthem for our children because children are our future.

The outreach ended with a warm thank-you from the CEO, a generous man who expressed his appreciation for our visit and we were greeted with warm, enthusiastic applause. We made our way downstairs to get our coats and spoke to the director before we left. It was her third Thanksgiving party that day and her energy and her passion for the mission of empowerment is undeniable. We left the outreach on an absolute high.

There would be no photos of this outreach. But I know this was one of the best outreach concerts I’ve been so fortunate to be a part of. I also know the images are indelible in the minds of all who took part—exuberant souls and those wonderful, smiling children. This is what Thanksgiving is all about—the ability to experience joy in the moment, the triumph of spirit and true gratitude against all odds.

-Choir Singer

It has become a tradition for a member of POHC to do a post-concert write-up. It started when our Sign-up Coordinator began emailing her summaries to the other members in order to entice newer members to sign-up to sing at community concerts held early in the season. It didn’t take long for Concert Write-ups to become greatly anticipated amongst our members, so we share them here in hopes that you’ll join us at a future concert

At The Advent Lutheran Church

I looked for the red double doors noted in the Peace of Heart Choir email with details for our outreach at Advent Lutheran Church and when I spotted the red doors I knew I had found the right place. I walked through the red double doors on the side of the building and walked down the stairs to the basement past a long line of those in need waiting to be admitted for their monthly luncheon—in this case, a Thanksgiving meal.

When I arrived downstairs, I found preparations underway—volunteers scurrying to get everything ready. There was a room in the back with countless pieces of pumpkin pie. I was very early and so was a small contingent of Peace of Heart Choir singers who were in the middle of it all chatting with Rene. Volunteers cleaned tables and we began to do our vocal warm-up. Our performance area was definitely going to be a tight fit but we adapt easily. There were rows and rows of tables with at least 75 people in attendance. Perhaps that is a low estimate. There easily could have been over a hundred. Sightlines were tricky because there were several poles in the way so not everyone in attendance had an unobstructed view.

Nonetheless, as our audience began their meals and volunteers came around serving food, we opened our outreach with our signature opening piece, Siyahamba. We continued with the lovely sounds of Wanemo with fine vocal support from Gail and Cheryl. The Maori love ballad Pocarekare Ana was next followed by Barry’s impromptu heartfelt version of It Had To Be Youto which several audience members sang along. Next was the sing-along Down By The Riverside with fine musical accompaniment by Dave on guitar.

One minor difference though we did not go into the audience to shake hands as usual. It was clear we did have a cheering section in the lady in the red sweater with a white scarf wrapped around her head. As Lexi declared, “This lady was great!”  I know she definitely put a smile on my face and moved me with her enthusiasm. I can’t agree with Rob more wholeheartedly in his assessment that she embodies what the spirit of outreach is all about. She was most visibly affected by Carole King's You’ve Got A Friend with lovely vocal support from Laura and Wilfred. She sang along, mouthing the words and even began to cry. James Taylor's Lonesome Road was next with another fine vocal turn from Wilfred. Rene looked out to us and at this point signaled we had done enough, yes? And so all was left but one of our core songs, Let There Be Peace on Earth which was introduced by Ruth and was a lovely way to end the afternoon.

- Carrie, Choir Singer

It has become a tradition for a member of POHC to do a post-concert write-up. It started when our Sign-up Coordinator began emailing her summaries to the other members in order to entice newer members to sign-up to sing at community concerts held early in the season. It didn’t take long for Concert Write-ups to become greatly anticipated amongst our members, so we share them here in hopes that you’ll join us at a future concert

At The Jewish Home & Hospital

The room was large, but there were only two rows of regular chairs. The rest of the floor was in reserve for residents who would be coming down in wheel chairs. A few were there when we started warmups, which included testing Rene’s latest toy—his portable mike. When Leslie tried it out with Ciribiribim, one of the early-birds mouthed all the words. After the warmups I spoke to a man who was looking through the singalong handout. I said he probably knew some of the songs, and he said, “Oh, yes! Pete Seeger!” He said he hadn’t known about the concert and was “getting ready to turn in,” when someone came by his room and told him about us. “I’m glad I came down,” he said. I pointed out that the concert hadn’t started yet. “Doesn’t matter. You guys are good.” Rene arranged us in a semi-circle so we could hear each other in the spongey (his word) room—first-sopranos facing second-altos across the piano. And then it was time to begin.

Siyahamba, as always, was a great opening. It says to the audience, This is who we are—enthusiastic, fun-loving, energetic. Come into our world. These residents got it. They may not have been physically able to dance in the aisles, but it was obvious from their smiles and participation throughout the concert that they were engaged. They were especially energized by the two singalongs, Rock-a-My-Soul and Down by the Riverside. Rock-a-My-Soul is always my favorite, when we embed ourselves among the audience members and our voices blend with theirs. Tonight I got the feeling that singing was a lost art for some of them—a few didn’t get the courage to join in until the last repetition or two, but when they did, there was such joy on their faces. At the end, a few residents told us that they loved the concert and wished we had had a longer program. They also said they would have liked more singalongs.

This concert was special for me in another way, too. While we sing for our audiences, we also sing for ourselves, and tonight, POHC members were treated to some spectacular performances by our fellow singers. (I don’t think it was just that they used Rene’s new mike.)

Gail and Leslie in Wanemo. Laura and Charlie in You’ve Got a Friend. Leslie in Ciribiribim. Wilfred in Lonesome Road. Barry in a surprise rendition of It Had to Be You. Marv’s piano accompaniment to Light One Candle.

Wonderful concert. For the audience as well as ourselves.

-Choir Singer

It has become a tradition for a member of POHC to do a post-concert write-up. It started when our Sign-up Coordinator began emailing her summaries to the other members in order to entice newer members to sign-up to sing at community concerts held early in the season. It didn’t take long for Concert Write-ups to become greatly anticipated amongst our members, so we share them here in hopes that you’ll join us at a future concert

At The Carter Burden Senior Center

It was an especially chilly mid-November afternoon but you would never know it as you walked into the Carter Burden Senior Center on Saturday afternoon. The seniors’ recreational room where we would perform was quite warm. As Dave noted, “I always forget how warm senior centers are.” I arrived and joined a nice-sized group of Peace of Heart Choir singers beginning Rene’s vocal warm-up. There were no fewer than 6 choir members attired in purple and Rene smiled and noted to Wilfred that we should get a purple picture as he was dressed in a purple shirt as well. The concert opened with a signature opening number of one of our core songs, a rousing Siyahamba followed by Wanemo. Next was the Maori ballad Pokarekare Ana with Brian and Dave providing fine musical support to Rene on lovely ukelele with a reverie-like feeling. The sing-along Down by the Riverside with spirited musical support from Brian and Dave followed with several of us running exuberantly into the audience to shake the hands of the seniors. We ran back to our places.

Barry did a sweet little impromptu surprise for the audience of It Had To Be You. Rene then introduced a fine new selection to this season’s repertoire, the Carole King classic, You’ve Got A Friend, a fitting piece for the spirit of outreach. Appreciative audience members visibly sang along to this one.

The next tune was a perfect follow-up, the James Taylor standard, That Lonesome Road, introduced by Rene with lovely vocal support from Nancy. Our outreach continued with another sing-along, Rock-a My-Soul. We started by singing each of the three choral parts to coach the audience. Then choir members ran into the audience and we split up into three sections to encourage audience members to sing along.

I noticed one audience member sitting in the back left hand side who seemed as if he might just want to rise from his seat as we sang but remain seated. We started our next song, Oye Come Va, introduced by Rob with fun, rollicking musical accompaniment by Dave and Brian. It was rousing and fun and I decided to start to dance to the music with the intention of getting the gentleman who seemed as if he wanted to dance to Rock-a My Soul on his feet and, of course, and any other audience member who wanted to dance.

I motivated one lady who was the first to get up and dance in front of the audience and finally, the gentlemen who I felt wanted to dance. You just couldn’t stop them. And it was such a delight to behold to see the seniors dancing—definitely a highlight. Next I introduced one of our core repertoire songs, the Jim Papoulis anthem for the future of our children, Give Us Hope. Our voices soared and filled the room. Ruth introduced our last song of the afternoon, one of our core repertoire pieces, Let There Be Peace on Earth. Again our voices filled the room.

After the concert, we did our usual audience feedback surveys. Ida came up to me and said that she loved us and we had to come back. As I walked out, a senior who had just seen the concert stopped me to say ‘thank you’ and held his heart. I then held my heart and said ‘thank you’ in return. He then leaned in closer and said, “ You rock-a my soul.” It was our first visit to Carter Burden Senior Center and the temperature wasn’t the only warm thing--it was the hearts and spirits of an appreciative group of seniors who look forward to our next visit.

-Carrie Wesolowski, Choir Singer

It has become a tradition for a member of POHC to do a post-concert write-up. It started when our Sign-up Coordinator began emailing her summaries to the other members in order to entice newer members to sign-up to sing at community concerts held early in the season. It didn’t take long for Concert Write-ups to become greatly anticipated amongst our members, so we share them here in hopes that you’ll join us at a future concert

At DeWitt Rehab and Nursing Center

I arrived late (because of work) to find a few residents seated around tables listening to the choir singing "That Lonesome Road." The sound was so good I thought it was the concert and realized it was the warm-up only when Rene stopped before the end of the song.

One of the recreation workers came around to the tables with a beverage cart that had wine as well as soft drinks. She put out plates of chips, too, cabaret-style. Then it was time to begin.

"Siyahamba," always a rousing opening, drew enthusiastic applause. We followed that with a mix of old and new pieces. I enjoyed seeing members of the audience singing along to songs other than the official sing-alongs, in particular, "You've Got a Friend."

Residents and a few of their visitors kept coming in, and before long, all the tables were full. Anthony's mom, Jeanette, was also in the audience, along with her sister, who lives in Indonesia and hasn't been to New York in 23 years. Anthony's mom sang and bopped along with several songs, like the honorary choir member she is.

Marv and Dave provided excellent accompaniment, freeing Rene to do what he does so well--conduct and help us sing with more nuance, and also get the "s" and "t" sounds on the right beat.

For me, the highlight of the evening was "Rock-a-My Soul," when Rene divided the audience into three groups and the choir broke formation to stand among them. I was with the residents of Group-3. Some sang with more gusto than others, but they were all obviously enjoying themselves. One woman was a bit tentative, but I could tell she really wanted to do this. We locked eyes, and the longer we held the connection, the more she sang with more confidence.

On the way out, I talked to a woman who said, "Encore, encore." I told her she should have shouted it sooner, before we had our coats on. She said, "I did, but no one heard me." This wasn't the official opening of our fall season. We already sang two concerts with the Fusion ensemble and one by ourselves at the 9/11 memorial. It felt like the opening, though, the first concert where we connected to the audience in an intimate setting. We didn't sing "Furaha!" tonight, but we definitely sang joy.

-Choir Singer

It has become a tradition for a member of POHC to do a post-concert write-up. It started when our Sign-up Coordinator began emailing her summaries to the other members in order to entice newer members to sign-up to sing at community concerts held early in the season. It didn’t take long for Concert Write-ups to become greatly anticipated amongst our members, so we share them here in hopes that you’ll join us at a future concert

At The Hamilton Senior Center

I walked into Hamilton Senior Center and a smiling Ruth greeted me, directing me to the restrooms and to the room at the end of the hallway where Peace of Heart Choir was rehearsing. Rene noted that there was a ‘lovely sound quality to the room’ and, I would add, an infectiously excited, almost giddy, feeling among choir members. We were all looking forward to our first outreach in a few months and our second collaboration with the Classical Fusion Chamber Ensemble. Abigail, the coordinator of the center loves to start promptly and so at 1:30 pm sharp, we made our way into the main room. We entered and found Classical Fusion Chamber Ensemble in their places. We found our spots in our respective sections, having to squeeze in a bit to make room for all of us. I looked out into the nice-sized audience. Our program opened with a rousing Star Spangled Banner, a joint effort between Peace of Heart Choir and Classical Fusion Chamber Ensemble.

The program continued with one of Peace of Heart Choir’s core songs, Siyahamba. There was a lady who was sitting in one of the front rows in the center who had been to an earlier Peace of Heart Choir outreach concert and so she sang along enthusiastically to Siyahamba, mouthing the words which was absolutely a joy to behold. Next was our traditional Maori ballad, Pokarekare Ana, with lovely introductory accompaniment by our choir director Rene on ukelele and fine musical accompaniment by Brian Muni and Dave Koch that lifted the song to another level.

We performed our solo efforts in pairs, so the next set was enjoyable versions of Masquerade Waltz from the Masquerade Suite and La Bella Cubana performed by the Classical Fusion Chamber Ensemble.

We followed with a set of Peace of Heart Choir’s core songs, Peace Salaam Shalom and a soaring Give Us Hope, by Jim Papoulis, a traditional anthem of September Song and the September Concert Foundation. Give Us Hope really resonated with an appreciative audience. The song felt triumphant, buoyed by Dave and Brian’s uplifting musical accompaniment that really helped to escalate the feeling of anticipation and, ultimately, triumph.

We took our seats during the Classical Fusion Chamber Ensemble’s sets and of their solo efforts, I particularly enjoyed A Call to Courage by William Ross from the 2006 motion picture” Ladder 49”. Classical Fusion Chamber Ensemble’s Conductor Stephen Francis Vasta made a point of the fact that the Classical Fusion Chamber Ensemble has exclusive rights to the piece. For me, the real treasure of the piece was, as I affectionately refer to him, “The Little Drummer Boy”, Frederick Chau, the adorable little boy who was the guest artist on percussion.

The two centerpieces of the Peace of Heart Choir/Classical Fusion Chamber Ensemble collaboration closed out the concert: Hope, with lovely vocals from Gwyn Griffin and Non Nobis Domine with fine vocal support from Gary Baker. Non Nobis Domine, with really lovely conduction from Rene, really showcased the collaboration of the two groups. And so we were ready for our encore. Rene posed the question to the group, “So what shall we do?” I and a few other choir members called out, Let There Be Peace on Earth. And so it ‘twas—a lovely way to end a lovely afternoon of music. We took our bows to a nice amount of applause and made our way outside into the hallway. As I walked towards the end of the hallway, a senior who had just seen our concert said, “Thanks for a great concert.” “It was our pleasure”, I responded. “What’s your name?” “Bob", he said. Then Bob said the most touching thing. “It made my day.” Well that was music to my ears. I smiled to myself and I thought 'that’s the magic of outreach and precisely why we do what we do.'

-Carrie, Peace of Heart Choir Singer

It has become a tradition for a member of POHC to do a post-concert write-up. It started when our Sign-up Coordinator began emailing her summaries to the other members in order to entice newer members to sign-up to sing at community concerts held early in the season. It didn’t take long for Concert Write-ups to become greatly anticipated amongst our members, so we share them here in hopes that you’ll join us at a future concert

At the National Sep 11 Memorial

The 9/11 Memorial is a contemplative, park-like outdoor space with lawns, walkways, and rows of trees surrounded by ivy groundcover. POHC was honored to be one of four groups performing there on 9/12. The bagpipes were the first group, while it was still light; when they finished, they graciously posed for pictures with choir members. Next came a string chamber group whose sound was all but lost in the great outdoors until Rene, Brian, and Dave assisted them with POHC amplification equipment brought by Rene. Third was a singer who has sung the “Star Spangled Banner” in all fifty states. When she finished singing it here, she invited her “friend who I just met,” Evelyn, a POHC soprano, up to the podium to read a poem she (the Star Spangled Banner singer) wrote about love of country and flag.

All this took some time, and when the POHC ascended the podium, the light was fast fading. There was still a sizable audience on the grass, though. How many were POHC family and friends, and how many random passers-by, I do not know. We sang ten songs, all well-received. What was more challenging than getting our sound to carry in the open space was the light. From the time we sang our first song, “Senzenia,” to the time we sang our last, “Let There be Peace on Earth,” our sheet music went from visible to invisible. For some songs, that was no problem—most of us knew them by heart. Others, like “Hard Times” and “Cherokee Morning Song,” were not as easy. It was also difficult for Rene to see the pitches on his pitch pipe. Despite all this, we sounded wonderful. I think we all felt very good about our performance—not just for the way we sang, but for our participation in the commemoration.

A note on the attached photo: The memorial park is surrounded by the tall buildings of downtown Manhattan. From our lineup on the podium, before we started singing, I took this picture of the sunset being reflected in one of those buildings. (Sorry it’s a bit fuzzy.)

-Choir Singer

It has become a tradition for a member of POHC to do a post-concert write-up. It started when our Sign-up Coordinator began emailing her summaries to the other members in order to entice newer members to sign-up to sing at community concerts held early in the season. It didn’t take long for Concert Write-ups to become greatly anticipated amongst our members, so we share them here in hopes that you’ll join us at a future concert

At The Shrine Church of St Anthony of Padua

Last night we performed with the Classical Fusion Chamber Ensemble (CFCE) in the beautiful Shrine Church of St. Anthony of Padua. The concert was in remembrance of 9/11. This was the first time, to my knowledge, that POHC sang with a full orchestra and was directed by an outside conductor. It was an interesting experience.

There were sixteen pieces on the program. Seven were performed by orchestra alone, six by POHC alone, and three by the combined orchestra and choir. Of the three pieces we did together, Rene conducted two: “Star Spangled Banner” and “Non Nobis Domine.” The third, "Hope," was conducted by Stephen from CFCE. Those three were the most challenging to prepare.

We had two rehearsals. The first was in a studio barely large enough to contain the whole orchestra. The choir members stood in the back, squeezed against one another. Think rush hour in a subway car without air conditioning. The second was in the church, much more humane and roomy. During the rehearsals, we worked out the sound balance—the choir had to sing very loud in order not to be drowned out by the orchestra. And for “Hope,” we adapted to a different conducting style, a new way of getting cued in after many measures’ rest. POHC is nothing if not flexible and professional.

The actual performance went very well. Kudos to our two soloists, Marta in “Hope,” and Gary in “Non Nobis Domine.” Your beautiful voices soared with feeling in that church. And to Gail and Cheryl in "Wanemo," and Gwen and Cheryl in "Senzenia." And to the whole choir in the songs we did by ourselves, especially the spirit with which we sang “Give Us Hope.”

The highlight from CFCE for me was “A Call To Courage,” from the 2006 motion picture Ladder 49, about a firefighter. It was moving and exquisitely performed. I also loved watching their drummer, a boy so young he was probably born after 9/11.

While I enjoyed singing in this concert, I didn’t feel as much of a connection to the audience as I do in our smaller community concerts, where we get closer to the audience and sometimes walk among them. This was more formal, with the orchestra in the pit and the choir on the stage. Still, it was a thrilling experience. It was also nice to see many POHC members and spouses/partners in the audience.

Well-done, choir. And now we can look ahead to our regular seasion, with our regular conductor, the incomparable Rene.

-Choir Singer

It has become a tradition for a member of POHC to do a post-concert write-up. It started when our Sign-up Coordinator began emailing her summaries to the other members in order to entice newer members to sign-up to sing at community concerts held early in the season. It didn’t take long for Concert Write-ups to become greatly anticipated amongst our members, so we share them here in hopes that you’ll join us at a future concert