Greater Falmouth Community Chorus Rehearsals Begin September 9

The Greater Falmouth Community Chorus, under the direction of John J. Dulina, IV, will begin rehearsals for the fall season on Wednesday, September 9, at the First Congregational Church of Falmouth, 68 Main Street, on the Village Green. Singers should arrive at 6:30 PM to pick up their music.

Fall concerts are Friday, December 4, at 7:30 PM, and Sunday, December 6, at 3 PM. The concerts, titled “Classically Winter,” will feature Christmas, Hanukkah, and winter songs, including “Colors of Winter,” “Do You Hear What I Hear?” “Ose Shalom,” and a holiday sing-along. Members of the Falmouth Chamber Players Orchestra and piano accompanist Debbe Carlisle will also perform.

Formerly the Greater Falmouth Mostly All-Male Men’s Chorus, the chorus announced its name change at its 25th anniversary concert in June. The name change reflects the group’s transition from a men’s glee club sound to a full chorus with men’s and women’s voices.

“As I said at the big reveal in June,” said Marcy Franklin Lerner, president of the chorus, “no matter how much I try to sing with a male tone, it doesn’t come out that way. This is a bold step for the chorus to take, but it reflects the male/female makeup of the group, and it also allows us to sing the wider variety of music available in an SATB (soprano-alto-tenor-bass) format.”

The new name, Franklin Lerner said, also reflects the fact that the chorus was founded as a community chorus and expresses that community.

“We had an unspoken, basic precept that we all embraced, that this was going to be a place where you could come and sing,” said Tom Goux, one of the founders of the chorus and its first conductor. “Being a ‘singer’ wasn’t a prerequisite. What mattered was the spirit you brought with you and your interest in making the chorus happen.”

That spirit has remained with the chorus over the years. “A magical thing happens when the sum of the parts is so much bigger than you could ever imagine,” Goux said. “It’s a wonderful feeling to make that kind of harmony.”

Goux, who was invited to conduct several songs at the anniversary celebration, was enthusiastic about the future of the chorus.

“My tenure with the chorus was one of the big joys, one of the happy accidents, of my life,” he said. “I was delighted to take part in the 25th anniversary celebration. It reminded me of all the fun and camaraderie, the brotherhood and sisterhood of the chorus, the cooperation, and making it all work.”

In addition to the fall concerts, the chorus will also perform at the Falmouth Veteran’s Day observance on November 11.

The Greater Falmouth Community Chorus welcomes all interested members. No auditions are required. Dues are $50, which includes sheet music, rehearsal CDs, and, according to Franklin Lerner, “more fun than a singer could possibly imagine.”

For more information, visit falmouthmenschorus.org, or call Franklin Lerner at 508-564-0054.