Sing with an Encore Chorale in Fairfax County Fall 2017

Sing with an Encore Chorale in Fairfax County Fall 2017

Encore is the largest choral music program for adults 55+ in the nation!

WHAT: Encore Chorale Program for Singers 55+

WHEN: Rehearsals begin the week of Tuesday, September 5, 2017 for 15 consecutive weeks

WHERE:

Alexandria Encore Chorale, Convergence, 1801 Quaker Lane, Alexandria, VA

Encore ROCKS Alexandria, Convergence, 1801 Quaker Lane, Alexandria, VA

Fairfax Encore Chorale, St. George's United Methodist Church, 4910 Ox Road, Fairfax, VA

Encore Chorale of Reston, United Christian Parish, 11508 North Shore Drive, Reston VA

Encore ROCKS Greater Fairfax, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax, 2709 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton

Registration is open for the Fall 2017 session of Encore Chorale and Encore ROCKS in Fairfax County. Singers age 55+ are invited to join. We welcome singers from Reston and neighboring communities: Herndon, Oakton, Sterling, Great Falls, McLean, Tysons and Vienna. Weekly rehearsals start the first week of September and continue for 15 weeks. The session concludes with wonderful free community concerts. Fee is $175 for weekly rehearsals, sheet music, practice CD, and performances. Register at the first rehearsal or online at www.EncoreCreativity.org. For further information: visit the website, send e-mail inquiry to info@EncoreCreativity.org. or call (301) 261-5747.

Auditions are not required. Experienced singers and “shower singers’” are welcome. The rehearsal CD is an excellent tool to learn your part. Singers may be seated for rehearsals and performances. Encore singers rehearse each week in preparation for FREE performances in December including a FREE holiday performance at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

What is Encore Creativity for Older Adults and Encore Chorales?

The Encore Chorale program is the nation's largest choral program for adults age 55+. The singers rehearse challenging choral repertoire from September through May. In December and May, the singers present large, free community concerts at high profile venues, including the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington D.C. There are no auditions, and singers may be seated for rehearsals and performances.

Encore was started in 2007 from a George Washington University study to address the mental and physical health benefits of singing in older adults.

The late Dr. Gene Cohen, the world-renowned psychiatrist (and the first director of the National Institute on Aging) who inspired Jeanne Kelly, a former opera singer, to create Encore, observed that age offers countless opportunities for growth, development, and creativity. The results captured national and international attention. A year into the study, members of the chorale study were using less medication and had fewer doctor visits, showed less signs of depression and loneliness, and were actually more active than at the start.

Today, Encore offers 15 Encore Chorales and 6 Encore ROCKS rock ‘n’ roll choruses in the MD/VA/DC area. Our choral program, under the direction of experienced, professional conductors, offers two 15-week sessions each year running from September to December and January to May. Encore offers FREE performances in December and May, including a FREE holiday performance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC. All singers over 55 are welcome to sing, no auditions are required and singers can be seated during rehearsals and concerts.

In addition to our weekly choral rehearsals and seasonal performances, Encore offers two “Summer Camps” for singers 55+, at Washington College in Chestertown, MD and at Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, NY. Here the campers stay on-site while rehearsing, working on voice technique and sight reading, and then conclude the week with a performance on stage for family, friends and the community.

Over the last 10 years, Encore has changed the lives of so many older adults entering new stages of life - retirement, overcoming personal health issues, coping with the death of a partner, or moving to a senior facility.

For more information about the Encore research study and results, visit the Encore website at http://encorecreativity.org, call 301-261-5747 or email info@encorecreativity.org.