Sisters Chorale a holiday tradition

Just about everywhere you go in Sisters Country during the Christmas season you hear residents talking to each other in glowing terms about the recent performance of Irene Liden's Sisters High Desert Chorale.

Hal and Jennifer Boley gave this review: "We attended the concert this past Friday evening (December 18) and have decided to make it our new Oregon Christmas tradition!

"My husband and I have lived in Sisters less than two years and were excited to learn of the Christmas concert. We attended last year and loved it and the community spirit that went with it. The music choices were wonderful. The bell choir was enchanting, and the children's choir was the frosting on the cake!"

Now, in it's ninth year, the chorale performs twice a year - Christmas and in spring.

Dr. May Fan of the Sisters office of Bend Memorial Clinic offered: "The rich vocal harmonies at the concert were wonderful, and so appreciated by the residents of Anna's Home (the new adult foster-care home in Sisters) where my mother-in-law lives. They had front-row seats and particularly enjoyed watching the children perform. Thank you, Irene and Lola and all the performers!"

Never, during all the hours and hours of rehearsing Monday nights at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Sisters, did any of the chorale singers get a hint that the residents of Anna's Home and other such facilities would be lifted by the chorale's voices.

In addition to the many hours Liden spends rehearsing with the chorale, there's Lola Knox herding and coaxing the kids in her Children's Choir to do the best they can. She also spends hours with the musicians playing in High Desert Bell Choir and accompanists such as flutist Trisha Liddell - plus the ukulele players that accompanied the "Hawaiian Christmas Greeting" number.

Carmen Millar Hull, who has been attending the chorale concerts for almost all the nine years they have been singing in the Sisters Community Church said, "The Christmas concerts just get better and better each year. This year's concert was very special because of the variety of music, the children's choir, and the accompanying bells, flutes, drums, ukes, and recorders. I've heard nothing but positive comments from first-timers and many who come every year."

Carolyn Blackman sent this note to the chorale: "We had the great pleasure of attending another of your wonderful concerts put on by Irene Liden and Lola Knox. As usual, they exceeded our expectations.

"Irene is a professional who is able to gather a group of local people who just love music and treat us to a professional concert. Lola's children's group and the bells were a joy to all with her lighthearted and fun approach. They capture the true meaning of Christmas and put us in the holiday spirit. Sisters is blessed by having them here."

Liden and Knox are both quick to invite new singers to come and join the fun of singing in the chorale, especially younger people who like to sing. Knox has a corner on the market for pint-sized singers, but there's a noticeable loss in the chorale as the "seniors" are forced to retire from what they love to do. As result, new fresh talent is always needed.