One local singing group is kicking off its 10-year anniversary with a series of events throughout the year.
The Bethlehem Senior Choir started in 2004 with the help of Claudia Summers. Recently retired from her job as a music instructor at Guilderland Central School District, Summers, a Bethlehem resident, said she was looking to do something to give back to the community. That’s when she approached Bethlehem Senior Services with her idea.
“I knew that my talents were strongest in the area of music. They always have been,” said Summers. “So I wanted to focus on that.”
Summers said her mother was briefly is a nursing home for rehabilitation around 2003. When she would visit, Summers would play piano for her mother, and people in the facility would stop what they were doing to come watch.
“It just seemed like music was such an avenue where we could all enjoy ourselves,” said Summers. “Many would hum or tap or play rhythms on the knees. It really reached these folks who were either permanently there or rehabbing. It made me think of what I would do with my future.”
Summers said her mother had participated in a similar singing group for 20 years also led by a retired teacher. She knew how much it meant to her and wanted to see the group go forward in Bethlehem. She reached out to senior services to see what the town could do to help it go forward and maybe help with some funding.
The group is now made up of 60 singers ages 55 to 96. Summers’ own mother, who now lives with her, is the 96-year-old singing with the choir. The group performs 12 concerts each year, spread out over three concert series held in December, March and June. Each concert series is seasonally themed, with the majority performed at local nursing homes and senior care facilities.
“The singers love to gather,” said Summers, now 64. “For some it’s the highlight of their week.”
The goal of the group is two-fold: to provide an additional activity for the community’s seniors, as well as provide entertainment for those unable or unwilling to join the choir.
RoseAnne Fogarty has been with the choir since the spring of its first year. She joined because her mother knew she loved to sing and pressured her to give it a shot.
“I think when people get together and sing, there is some kind of definitely euphoric effect,” said Fogarty. “I know it happens to me every time I sing. I think singing has a very powerful and positive effect on people.”
Fogarty said she enjoys the camaraderie of the group and called it something “blissful to have happened” later in their lives.
The Bethlehem Senior Choir will kick off its 10-year anniversary with a concert on Wednesday, Dec. 10, at Bethlehem Town Hall at 1 p.m. Another singing group, the Thursday Belles under Judy Moore from Clifton Park, will also take part as guests.
The choir will perform seasonal favorites, along with classic hits from earlier generations, and some show tunes. The theme for this concert series is “A celebration of musical sounds.”
Summers said she’s been excited to share 10 years of song with her community and make new friends along the way. She also enjoys arranging music as much as her group likes singing it.
“They say when you sing, the endorphins get fired up,” said Summers. “I think (choir members) leave with a very joyous feeling. We’re really just a group of friends who care about one another, and I think that alone is an accomplishment.”
