DELMAR – Happy Holidays from Delmar’s senior choir, The Friendship Singers. In a few weeks, the local choir will be spreading cheer and singing plenty of traditional seasonal songs in Delmar and New Scotland.
The Friendship Singers will be putting on two public Christmas concerts, the first being at Delmar Reformed Church Monday, Dec.18, 7 p.m. and the latter at New Scotland Presbyterian Church Tuesday, Dec.19, 7 p.m. Admission to both concerts are free.
When the singing group formed in 1982 as a small women’s organization associated with a Methodist church in Slingerlands, the Christmas concerts originated. For many years, according to singer Terry Strasser, the group has rehearsed at Delmar Reformed Church and have performed their shows inside their Fellowship Hall which is suited for a large audience attendance.
The Players
Three long-time performers including Strasser, music director Marie Liddle, pianist and full-time accompanist Peg Dorgan, have been involved with the Christmas concerts since joining the choir. Liddle, who joined the group 30 years ago, and has remained choir director since 1996, was a former music teacher who helped the choir on their choreography for their spring concerts. Dorgan, who’s also a former music teacher and a long-time choir director for St. Thomas the Apostle Church in town, joined the fun in 2014. As for Liddle, she joined the group in 2015 as both a singer and the organization’s publicist.
The 2023 holiday concerts will include the singers’ traditional, familiar songs, “Do You Hear What I Hear?”, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”, “O Holy Night”, “Little Drummer Boy”, “Still, Still, Still”, and “We Need A Little Christmas”. Spectators who attend the shows can also enjoy other lesser-known holiday pieces such as “Snow, Snow, Beautiful Snow”, “Jingle Bells Through The Ages”, “Christmas…In About Three Minutes”, “Gaudeamus”, and “What You Gonna Call Your Pretty Little Baby”.
Also included in the mix will be several sing-along songs and making its repertoire debut will be the song “Believe” from Josh Groban as heard in the film, “The Polar Express”.
The Friendship Singers would be open to expand their holiday concerts to other venues only if they are scheduled as part of the organization’s performances at senior venues and nursing homes, done twice a year, Strasser added.
In a typical season, the singers take part in six or seven concerts, with only one or two open to the public. The remaining concerts are completed by a special arrangement with the facilities.
“We hope attendees will experience a sense of fun, hear good harmony, and be able to forget their daily concerns for an evening.” Strasser said.
The Friendship Singers love to sing together for small and large audiences and by spreading a little joy in dark moments is why the group exists, Strasser concluded.
Interested singers who want to learn more information about the Friendship Singers or want to join the group can reach out to Marie Liddle at (518)-424-2798 or [email protected].
