The Olds Community Chorus is celebrating two decades of sweet singing with a spring concert this week.Chorus member Grant Spence, who has been with the group for 10 years, said Sandy McCleary, an Ecole Olds Elementary School teacher, pushed for the “resurrection” of a community chorus in 1994 and with the help of Lorrie Lipski and Helen Entwistle, the singing group began its new life that year.Originally called the Olds Community Choir, the group decided to call itself a chorus in recent years to dispel the idea the group is affiliated with churches.Spence said the group currently has 33 members from the Olds and Didsbury area ranging in age from 18 to 85 and the roster can go up or down depending on the time of year.The chorus holds two sessions: one from September to December with a wrap-up winter concert near Christmas, and one from January to May with a spring wrap-up concert that this year will be held at the Olds First Baptist Church on 53 Avenue on May 8 at 7:30 p.m.Spence said the reason the chorus has remained viable and vibrant over the last 20 years is due to its leadership and the appeal of performing great music.“We've got a really good director,” he said. “The music that we sing is sometimes challenging because we're growing as singers and it's enjoyable. People like to sing. The reason they're there is because they like to sing.”The chorus is constantly looking for new members, he added, and anyone who is interested in joining doesn't have to know how to read music.The group, which performs music ranging from folk to classical to pop in four-part and even eight-part harmonies, has recently begun recording CDs of the songs they sing so people can learn their parts by ear without the use of sheet music.“This has really enhanced our learning and made it easier for folks who want to pursue that end of it,” Spence said.Some songs, he added, are performed in Latin, but that shouldn't deter people from coming out to enjoy the group's music.“For some folks who think, why would you sing in a different language, just listen to the music, don't worry about the words.”The chorus performed in the Olds and District Kiwanis Festival of the Performing Arts last month and received an award of distinction and a recommendation to go to the organization's provincial music festival in Edmonton.Spence said the chorus is unable to attend, however, due to members' time commitments.The group rehearses at the Church of the Nazarene on 43 Street on Mondays from 7 to 9:15 p.m. and Spence said anyone interested in joining the chorus can contact him at 403-556-6826 or the group's director, Ross Dabrusin at 403-556-9067.Tickets for the concert are $10 at the door and Spence said proceeds go towards chorus expenses such as rent for rehearsal space and buying [email protected]
