Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 • Choral group prepares for new season

Publisher’s note: This story originally appeared in the Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2013, edition of the Lassen County Times.

The Susanville Choral Society has started preparing for a new season, and the group is hoping to recruit some new singers.

“Our plans for the season include two full concerts, plus a number of smaller performance events between now and June 2017,” said Liudmila Mullin, the choral group’s director. “We are just now beginning to rehearse, so it is a great time for new singers to join us.”

Although the group’s first concert is more than two months off, Mullin said she’ll use the time she has to guide the singers through learning the 10 new songs they will present in November, providing recordings and sheet music so singers can practice independently and following that with weekly group rehearsals to bring it all together.

8Singers gear up for the new season during the first rehearsal in the Lassen Community College music room.

“We really want the group rehearsals to focus on merging the different voices into a beautiful collaboration of coordinated sound, Mullin said. “Getting 30 or 40 people to start and stop together, to stay together rhythmically, to maintain a connection to the dynamics of each song, and even to pronounce and enunciate the lyrics in the same way is an enormous challenge, but it is that challenge that choral singers find so thrilling. Our rehearsals are the most productive when the individual singers have worked independently of the group to familiarize themselves with their respective parts in anticipation of the group rehearsal. I bring this up to point out how much really does go into putting together an hour-long concert. It is more than just the dozen group rehearsals; it is also countless hours of individual preparation that must occur for us to be successful.”

Karen Sherve, one of the Choral Society’s performance pianists and the primary rehearsal accompanist, has been with the group since the beginning.

“I am so much looking forward to our autumn concert this year,” she said. “We have put together a wonderfully eclectic mix of songs that will blend music of the season together with traditional folk songs, classical music, and some contemporary pop. It’s not just the fun and excitement of the performance, but the entire process of preparation and the camaraderie that develops between all involved. It’s just a great experience – good for the soul.”

The group routinely meets on Wednesday evenings in the music room at Lassen Community College.

Mullin said, “That’s a change from last year. We had been meeting at Meadow View School, but the school needed to start using the rehearsal space as a classroom again due to a growing student population. The college administration was very gracious in allowing us to move our rehearsals up to the college’s music room.”

Mullin said that not all rehearsals involve the entire choral group, “We’ll often break up the full group in order to work with one or two voice sections – sometimes just sopranos, or sopranos and altos together, then tenors and basses. It’s all geared towards moving the group forward to the eventual performance.”

Another founding member of the group, soprano Deborah Abbott, added her own take on the Choral Society.

“Choral singing is such an amazing natural stress reliever,” she said. “You realize it the most on those afternoons where your plate is so full, you just want to skip choir rehearsal that day. But you show up anyway and by the end of the rehearsal, your stress level is down and you just feel good about yourself. I wish more people would take advantage of the program we offer – it’s fun, it’s therapeutic, it allows you to explore your creative genius, and in the end you produce something that benefits the entire community.”

Mullin said that she would love to expand the existing group with new singers.

“The more, the merrier, it is said, and a larger chorus could create a more powerful sound and take on larger-scaled musical projects,” she said. “Still, it’s about the joy of music, whether large or small. We don’t require auditions or experience, just a desire to join us in working to put together great performances. There is no cost to singers to join us. For funding, we rely on what we can raise through concerts and other fundraising activities during the year, as well as commercial and individual sponsors. The Susanville Choral Society operates under the umbrella of the much larger Susanville Symphony Society.”

The Susanville Choral Society will next perform in concert at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9 at the Susanville United Methodist Church. Advanced tickets may be obtained at either Margie’s Book Nook or Axia Home Loans. Tickets are usually also available at the door.