By Summer Stair

The music, the words, the collaboration of creating a melody is what draws members to express themselves through song within the Longmont Chorale.

Made up of community members, the group averages between 90 and 100 people who gather to sing music ranging from Broadway to pop to symphony and Latin masses. "It's fun. The literature is so varied," says Scott Hamlin, artistic director of Longmont Chorale.

In an average season, the Chorale performs four concerts. The upcoming season will be their 74th, and Hamlin says they plan to continue to invite special guest groups "so the music can stretch across all genres."

The one thing that makes the Longmont Chorale unique is that it is non-auditioned. If you like to sing, more than likely you can sing with the chorale. "You don't have to have a great voice; it's a non-threatening atmosphere," says Karen Martin, accompanist of the Longmont Chorale. "It's friendly and new people are always welcome. There is no I in team; everyone wants to help."

If interested in joining, it is as easy as stopping by a Monday night practice and seeing what it is all about. "Come and see what it's like before joining," Martin says.

For those who are a little more serious about their singing, The Chorale Singers is a special niche within the Chorale who perform high-quality music. This group is one you must audition for.

While the Chorale has come a long way from its roots, it hasn't strayed from the original purpose of singing for the community. The idea of gathering such a group began with Albert James, who moved to Longmont in 1928 after graduating from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kan. In college he participated in the Bethany College Oratario Society's Messiah Festival. Inspired, James organized a performance of the Easter portion of Handel's "Messiah" with 25 singers for the Longmont community. The year was 1930. By 1937, other church choirs wereinvited to participate and the Longmont Community Choir, now the Longmont Chorale, was born.

By 1957, the choir had grown to 100 voices. In 1976, the volunteer Board of Directors decided it was time to branch out from the annual performance of the "Messiah" and Theodore Dubois' "Seven Last Words of Christ&" was performed to celebrate the country's bicentennial.

Today, as the group continues to expand, it offers four community concerts - fall, Christmas, spring and May. In addition, other groups have also blossomed out of the Chorale - The Chorale Singers organized in 1991, The Heartland Quartet in 1995 and Sugar Beats in 2010.

As the group looks toward its 75th anniversary, they plan to go back to the beginning for a day and offer an Easter community concert much like the first one performed. The Chorale hopes to include former members, as well as area churches to join in the festivities. As far as the future, the group of voices plan to continue their journey of bringing music from around the world to the Longmont community.

Check it Out

For information on membership, concert tickets or to just explore the Longmont Chorale, visit http://longmontchorale.org. Upcoming season tickets sales begin Oct. 1.

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