Liden retiring from Sisters chorale

Irene Liden is stepping aside from her long-time position as director of the Sisters High Desert Chorale.

Liden's not moving on; she just wants to retire to see and enjoy more of Central Oregon. She came to Sisters from San Antonio 11 years ago, fell in love with all there is to do here, and now finds herself without enough time to get to doing it.

This will mark yet one more time Liden has retired in her professional career: once from 40 years at San Antonio College, teaching music theory, music ensembles, classes and private voice; and as a professional opera singer.

As Irene puts it, "I retired to ski, hike and take in all there is to see and do here, but the call of music was hard to resist, especially when I met all the musical talent already organized in Sisters 11 years back"

Liden earned her Bachelor of Music degree in opera and voice performance from The Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, considered one of the finest music schools in the world. She then earned her Master of Music from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and went on as a post-graduate in voice performance at the University of Texas in Austin, and then to the University of Arizona in Flagstaff.

It was from that point she entered the world of opera in Santa Fe, New Mexico, performing with the Shreveport Opera Company in Louisiana, and Chautuqua Opera Company in New York.

From New York, Irene made a giant leap into opera that few singers have found: She went to perform in The Bayreuth Festival Theatre; an opera house north of Bayreuth, Germany, dedicated solely to the performance of operas by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner.

While performing in Bayreuth, Irene had the pleasure of studying under the leadership of the granddaughter of Richard Wagner, for whom the theatre was built by Ludwig II of Bavaria in 1872. In those operatic years, Liden sang with several orchestras and performed solos in numerous oratorios.

The singers who joined the first chorale/choir, started in Sisters by COCC's music director Forrest Daniels, lucked out when Irene decided to take over the choir when Daniels retired. Starting out with a choir of 20 members, and the new name of the "Sisters High Desert Chorale," the musical group grew to sometimes more than 60 voices, and the bi-annual performances of the Christmas and Easter seasons now find an audience of over 300 and more enjoying the local musicians following Irene's talented direction.

Several of those 60 voices spoke when they learned of Liden's latest retirement.

Janie Buell, soprano, said, "Every choir rehearsal and concert was filled with inspirational music and lots of fun! We were blessed to have her for so many years."

An understatement, according to Donna Moyer, pianist of several years for the Chorale:

"It has been wonderful working with such a talented musician. Being a musician myself, I have learned so much from her to enhance my teaching career. I will miss her sense of humor."

Mel Miles, who has been singing tenor with he chorale for a hundred years, put it this way: "Irene was a tireless worker and was always upbeat. That ain't easy, given the characters she was trying to nurture musically. To be openly criticized by Irene was worn as a badge of honor by many of us. We will miss her."

"I'm feeling very glum for us, but jubilant for Irene, who will be free at last from exhausting rehearsals, trying to conduct bungling singers!" said Martha C. Lussenhop.

Ren and Sue Broomhead, who are relative newcomers to the chorale, and good musicians in their own right, thought singing with Liden was a treat.

"My wife and I have certainly enjoyed the opportunity to sing under the direction of Irene over the last several years," Ren said. "She's very demanding in a good-natured way, but the most important part of singing under her direction is that she wants us to feel the music; that makes all the difference in performing."

Connie Gunterman, a talented soprano and professional musician presently in the chorale, will be director of the chorale's spring concert performances.