As the afternoon sun illuminated stained glass images of Lady Madonna and baby Jesus in the Mancos United Methodist Church, the Mancos Valley Chorus enlivened the airwaves, as the singers’ sopranos and altos converged to create song.
After a few breath exercises and Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do’s, the chorus sang “Route 66” to kick off rehearsal that Tuesday evening. From there, they worked their way through the set list for their upcoming spring tour of shows, “On The Road Again.”
Upcoming shows
Sunday, May 4: Mancos United Methodist Church, 3 p.m.
Tuesday, May 6: Christ King Lutheran Chuch in Durango, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 7: Cortez United Methodist Church, 7 p.m.
Friday, May 9: Mancos United Methodist Church, 7 p.m.
“It can mean literally on the road, or it means roads in life,” said Marty Lordier, the chorus’s treasurer. “Or even boats, trains.”
Lordier was alluding to some of the other songs they’ll perform, like one she loves called “Freedom Train.”
“I love music and singing with good people,” Lordier said. “It gives me joy.”
Everyone The Journal spoke with that evening expressed similar sentiments of community and the joy of singing among friends and neighbors.
“This gives me hope for a bright future, and it’s a sense of belonging, too,” said secretary and singer Becky Walker. “I have community in chorus.”
Maggie Gillette, the director of the chorus said, “We have a lot of fun, and I think that translates into our performance.”
Unlike other groups in the area, the Mancos Valley Chorus doesn’t require auditions and is thus “low stress” by nature.
“I think we sound good. There’s people here who like to sing, and when we pull our voices together, we good sound,” said Gillette.
Instruments – namely a piano, guitar, bass and drums – complement the songs. Some are performed as solos, duets, even quartets.
“We work really hard to put together a high-quality show,” said Raleigh Cato, the president of the chorus. “There’s familiar tunes, tunes you love.”
“And it’s familiar faces, singing,” Vice President Carrie Schneider added. “We’re your neighbors.”
In recent years, more younger voices have joined, which has brought variety to the chorus’ cumulative voice and new faces to the audience, said Susie Frye, a soprano singer.
Amanda Vodicka, a local musician who joined this year, is one of the younger voices.
“I’ve learned to challenge myself, and I’ve met new people in the community,” said Vodicka, smiling at her musical peers in the room. “Also, breath control.”
She added that “people should come because it’s community art. People from all over the county come together and raise their voices together.”
Check out one – or several – of their upcoming shows in Montezuma County or Durango!
