Sisters Chorale starts spring term

The Sisters High Desert Chorale, a community performing choir, begins its new season of rehearsals on February 6. The upcoming winter and spring rehearsals are leading up to the chorale's annual spring concerts, which have been scheduled for May 4 and 6. The singers are returning from their annual break after performing Christmas concerts before record crowds at Sisters Community Church in December.

Hundreds of area residents turned out for the holiday concerts, as word of the performances continues to spread.

"We are so thrilled to offer this musical opportunity for the people of Sisters," said Chorale Director Irene Liden. "By that I mean both the venue for the singers to offer their talents and for the community as a whole to enjoy music on a scale such as this."

Liden has a degree in voice/opera performance from the Eastman School Of Music, and a master of music in voice and opera performance from the University of Southern California. She is Professor Emeritus of San Antonio College, where she taught voice, music theory, and choir ensembles.

"Sisters is fortunate to have a director with such impressive credentials," said local resident Bonnie Malone, an alto member of the chorale. "Plus, she makes it fun while we study and practice the musical selections."

The choir is welcoming new members and would like to bolster their numbers even further. Liden hopes to encourage would-be singers to show up and join in.

"No auditions are required," Liden said, "and the chorale is open to singers of all ages."

Last term, the choir numbered about 50 singers, but less than a third were men.

"We have wonderful people in our choir," said Liden, "but I wish we had more male voices to balance out the group. Especially if there are any shy tenors out there, this would be a great time for them to come out and have some fun with us."

Although more men would definitely be on her wishlist, she emphasized that all singers are welcome. She said that there are many very competent vocalists who would like to sing but are afraid they aren't "good enough," and she would like to disabuse them of that notion.

"Frankly," she said, "the larger the choir, the easier it is to let yourself go and really get the most out of the synergy of the group as a whole. We all learn and develop by working together. This is an opportunity to do just that."

Musical selections for the upcoming term will predominantly be songs from musical theater, gospel tunes, and African-American spirituals.

Rehearsals for the chorale's new session will be held on Mondays from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 386 N. Fir St. New singers are invited to show up or contact Irene Liden at 541-549-1037 or [email protected]

broadband.com. Information is also available online at

http://www.sisterschorale.com.