The Greenwood Chorale will performs its first concert at 3 p.m. Sunday at First Presbyterian Church.
Formed in March, the community choir is an outlet for singers interested in learning a challenging classical repertoire.
It is under the direction of Ray Smithee, First Presbyterian's music director and organist.
Smithee said it is unusual for a group that has been together only three months to have a concert already.
“We have put this choir together and prepared to perform in a relatively short amount of time,” he said.
A challenge of a directing a community choir is having singers of varying abilities who have never sung together, he said.
The group has 22 members who range in age from the early 20s to about 70 years old. They represent a variety of churches, including First United Methodist, St. John’s United Methodist, North Greenwood Baptist, Carrollton Baptist and the Episcopal Church of the Nativity.
Neil Littell joined the choir because he enjoys singing and also to meet some new community members.
“I used to sing in middle and high school, and I thought this would be a fun way to get back into it,” he said.
Littell likes learning the older music because it is not the style his church choir sings.
“Any time musicians can come together and create something bigger than themselves, it is a true joy,” said Anne Roberts.
Roberts was one of the driving forces behind the choir and is glad Smithee has decided to bring it back for the fall.
“Ray has just been wonderful to work with, and we are extremely grateful for the work he has put into it,” she said.
For this concert, the choir will be performing works by composers such as Mozart, Mendelssohn and Zingarelli.
Guest singer will be Connie Black. Becky Thompson will accompany the group on flute for “Shall We Gather at the River.”
“When you do a choir concert, you want a variety of styles, time periods and moods,” Smithee said. “I have picked pieces that work for our group’s voices and will give the audience a diverse group of songs.”
The free performance is open to the public.
• Contact Andrea Hall at ahall@gwcommonwealth.com.
