San Juan Bautista – Members of the Oriana Chorale want you to
start a new holiday tradition with your family and friends this
year.
San Juan Bautista – Members of the Oriana Chorale want you to start a new holiday tradition with your family and friends this year.
The local nondenominational, nonprofit chorus will be putting on its fifth annual winter concert at Mission San Juan Bautista on Dec. 7 and 8. Members say their presentation of Handel’s “Messiah” at the mission is a one-of-a-kind event, sure to add special meaning to everyone’s holiday season regardless of age, religion or lifestyle.
“I call music ‘the language of the heart and soul,'” said tenor Manny Amaral. “It brings family, friends, and community together through something we all enjoy.”
The Oriana Chorale, now in its 19th year, is made up of about 30 Hollister and San Juan Bautista residents of every age and walk of life, according to “tenorette” and Oriana Chorale Board of Directors President Laurie Venturini. While she estimated most of the group’s members are in their late 40s or 50s, she said it was not a chorus specifically for any age group.
“There are a few high school kids, and some people in their 60s. I would say there are even some people pushing 70,” Venturini said.
And in order to join the group, one doesn’t need to be a professional – or even experienced – singer, said tenor and self-professed “shower singer” David Baumgartner.
“It’s just a neat way to get together for people who like to sing,” he said.
The hodge-podge chorus is expecting a large turn-out for this year’s winter concert, Amaral said. Last year, he said about 700 people showed up from all over the Bay Area and the Valley; enough to pack the mission.
“I’m just really excited to do it,” chorus Director Robin McKee Williams said of the program. “It’s a wonderful community effort, and this is a group that really sings with their heart. They seem to be looking forward to it, and I know I’m really looking forward to it. And being able to sing in the mission just makes it that much more special,” she said.
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at [email protected].
