PORT TOWNSEND — Friday will be the first concert since 2020 for the Community Chorus of Port Townsend.
At the height of the pandemic, singing was considered to be one of the riskiest activities for the spread of the virus, said Lynn Nowak, a member of the group, in a press release.
“The fact that we are coming together again is an occasion well worth celebrating,” said Community Chorus director Sarah Moran.
“The theme of our concert, ‘We Rise Again,’ is our statement to the world that the last two and a half years have not broken us. Our love of music, singing and community have outlived the loneliness and fear of the last few years and we are overjoyed to be performing together again.”
“The core group in the chorus this fall is comprised of a small band of dedicated singers determined to make music together again,” Nowak said.
A program that celebrates singing — with Wild Rose Chorale performing as a special guest — is set for two concerts, 7 p.m. Friday at First Presbyterian Church, 1111 Franklin St., Port Townsend; and 3 p.m. Sunday at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 45 Redeemer Way, Chimacum.
Concert tickets are available through brownpaper tickets.com, or at the door for a suggested $15 donation.
Songs are to include “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” “We Are the Music-makers,” “How Can I Keep from Singing,” and “Why We Sing.”
Also included on the program are a couple of Aaron Copland favorites and even “The Rainbow Connection” from the “Muppet Movie.”
Still mindful of protecting themselves and others, the singers will be masked in the concert venues, and are asking audience members to mask and show proof of vaccination.
Returning to a choir setting has presented challenges, Nowak said.
Some singers were reluctant to return, period, because of health concerns and potential Covid exposure while others haven’t wanted to wear masks while singing, she said.
“I have been overjoyed to see how many members have chosen to return and have not been daunted by health worries or the discomfort of masking,” Moran said.
Chorus board president Linda Atkins said for her, the biggest challenge has been balancing the desire to sing while assuring a high level of safety for the health and wellbeing of singers, their families and the community.
“During the past couple of years, the chorus has had to rethink ways of engaging with its membership. Online Zoom sessions early on proved to be a good way of socializing with people and relieving some of the feelings of pandemic isolation, but an ineffective way of singing together,” Nowak said.
“In summer 2021, outdoor gatherings of “singalong” music and reviewing choral scores from past seasons were an attempt to get back to the group experience. During the holiday season last year, singers turned out in bigger numbers for an afternoon of Christmas caroling.”
For more information, call 360-643-3345 or visit ptchorus.org.
