Los Alamos Choral Society/Courtesy photo
COMMUNITY NEWS
Come and hear what the Los Alamos Choral Society is all about at their “sit in and sing” Open House Rehearsal at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 7:00 p.m. at the United Church of Los Alamos, 2525 Canyon Road.
Repertoire for the fall season will be previewed, including Part III of Handel’s Messiah, the Agnus Dei from Amy Beach’s 1892 Grand Mass, and works by three New Mexico composers: Michael Mauldin’s Prayer of Mesas, Mary Badarak’s Explorers, and Frances Meier’s Pasque Flower in April. All of these works will be performed on the group’s gala 75th Anniversary Concert with the Los Alamos Symphony Orchestra, scheduled for Sunday, January 26, 2020 at Duane Smith Auditorium in Los Alamos.
Tuesday’s Open House Rehearsal provides an opportunity for prospective members to sing through this year’s repertoire with returning Choral Society members, and all interested singers are invited to participate in this Sit In and Sing/Open House format. The 7:00 rehearsal will be preceded at 6:30 by a sign-up reception for returning members, and a chance for prospective members to meet and visit with members of the chorus.
The reception and rehearsal take place at United Church of Los Alamos, 2525 Canyon Road, in Los Alamos, New Mexico. No auditions are required for membership in the chorus, and singers are needed in all sections. Regular rehearsals will continue each Tuesday evening at 7:00. Special accommodations are available for singers wanting only to perform on the Messiah portion of the program, with rehearsals for Messiah not beginning until October.
The reception and rehearsal take place at United Church of Los Alamos, 2525 Canyon Road, in Los Alamos. No auditions are required for membership in the chorus, and singers are needed in all sections. Regular rehearsals will continue each Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m. Special accommodations are available for singers wanting only to perform on the Messiah portion of the program, with rehearsals for Messiah not beginning until October.
The Los Alamos Choral Society was founded in 1945 by Manhattan Project scientists. In addition to its 75th Anniversary Concert with the Los Alamos Symphony Orchestra, the group will join the Los Alamos Community Winds for a May 1, 2020 performance of Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, and will present an informal “Dessert Concert” of popular songs and musical theater excerpts during the spring.
Dr. Steven Paxton is the conductor of the chorus, and inquiries may be made by email at lachoralsociety@gmail.com, or by calling longtime members Chuck Tallman at (505) 662-9127 or Wendy Swanson at (505) 695-8034.