The Redmond Community Choir will be “Celebrating the Great American Songbook” at an upcoming spring concert set for Sunday, May 18.

The Great American Songbook is a collection of timeless American classics, many of which reflect the blues and ragtime rhythms that characterize the early jazz age.

The concert will be at 4 p.m. at the Redmond High School auditorium. Admission is free. Seating is on a first-come basis, so plan to arrive early. The concert will feature a full 80-member choir.

All that jazz

The choir will be accompanied by a stellar rhythm section, featuring Central Oregon jazz musicians Casey Smiley on drums and Evan Braun on bass. Filling out the trio on piano is special guest artist Richard Tuttobene, an award-winning composer who has written music for film, television, and the concert hall. He is an accomplished jazz pianist who has performed with artists such as Diana Ross, Patti Lupone and Rickie Lee Jones.

Choir director Ken Piarulli said the concert will be the organization’s “most ambitious program yet.” The first half will include traditional choral pieces, including “Goin’ Home” and “Hope for the World.”

The centerpiece of the first half of the concert will feature a composition by Bob Chilcott called “A Little Jazz Mass.” This piece has been on Piarulli’s radar for some time, he said, but the timing hadn’t been quite right, as the piece presents some significant technical challenges. The five-part composition is entirely in Latin. It also includes multiple changes in tempo and dynamics, requiring an accomplished jazz trio accompaniment. It frequently calls for five or more separate voice parts.

A trio of George Gershwin classics will be featured in the second half of the concert, including ”Nice Work if You Can Get It,” ”Someone to Watch Over Me,” and ”I Got Rhythm.”

The choir will also perform ”Night and Day,” composed by Cole Porter, the prolific composer of Broadway musicals — Kiss Me Kate, Can-Can, Silk Stockings, High Society and others.

Behind the scenes

It isn’t an exaggeration to say that Piarulli puts countless hours into planning, preparing, and rehearsing for each concert. Choir members also invest a significant amount of their time to ensure a successful performance.

In order to learn an entire program’s worth of music within the 12-week timeframe, choir members spend time practicing on their own. In addition to the two hours of group rehearsal each week, members rehearse individually or with a friend at home. Practice tracks enable each voice section to hear their part emphasized, making it easier to learn while following along with the music. Choir members also have access to a playlist that provides examples of how the finished pieces should sound.

In addition to the weekly rehearsals and at-home practice, choir members have opportunities to develop their vocal and musical skills. Early in each term, director Piarulli and Karen Baldwin-Kuntz offer classes that focus on choral music reading, as well as some of the more technical aspects of singing such as breath control, increasing vocal range and flexibility, and interval training.

At least twice during the choir’s regular rehearsal schedule, members arrive early for “sectionals.” During these sessions, members focus on areas within their voice section that need attention. Sectionals are critical when it comes to nailing down the subtle dynamics, phrasing, and articulation that breathe life into the music and transform it from “singing” into an artistic expression.

During sectionals, choir members are expected to know their parts so that the choir can be integrated with full instrumental accompaniment.

It feels much like a dress rehearsal, but the real one comes on the Saturday before the concert. The final rehearsal is not a full performance, but an opportunity for the choir to synchronize all components of the concert. There are sound and lighting checks for the choir, soloists, and instruments. The choir practices stage entrances and exits as well as transitions from full-choir to small-group numbers. Then its showtime