Members of the Redmond Community Choir sing at the 2023 holiday concert.

Since its inception in fall 2019, the Redmond Community Choir has become a respected part of the musical arts scene in Central Oregon.

It has been my privilege to have been a member of the choir from the beginning and to have witnessed its growing stature and presence in the community.

If you ask choir members what they like about the choir, you will hear them talk about their love of music, the joy they find in singing, the camaraderie among fellow choir members, their respect for our director Ken Piarulli and his wife Jude. There are lots of reasons to love the choir. I can think of at least ten.

For those of us whose past experience in musical performance has been limited to singing in the shower or the car, we love having a more legitimate outlet for our talents. In addition to being fun — really fun — the Redmond Community Choir provides a challenging, high quality musical experience for its members.

We love that the choir welcomes music lovers of all skill levels and ranges of experience. Would you like to sing in the choir, but you don’t know how to read music? No problem. You’ll learn as you go. Ken will offer a workshop that will help you follow along, and your fellow choir members will be there to provide encouragement.

We love our choir director, Ken Piarulli, and his wife Jude. Ken focuses on the music and Jude handles many of the administrative details. She is also a first soprano in the choir. How do they hit those high notes?

Together the Piarullis put in many hours of behind-the-scenes planning and preparation to help ensure the choir’s success. Earlier this year, Ken received the Redmond Chamber of Commerce 2023 Community Involvement Award for his contributions to the community.

We love the talented people in our choir who help make it a success. Some of them help out by accompanying the choir on instruments, by conducting some of the music, or by providing instruction (vocal basics, extra rehearsals, etc.). Others work behind the scenes handling administrative details like registration, fundraising, and website maintenance.

We love being challenged to improve and excel. Ken chooses music that newcomers and less experienced singers can handle, yet that also can hold the interest of more accomplished musicians.

Ken also continues to raise the bar so that we have been able to work on more challenging music over time. For example, our choir is made up of four main sections ranging from high singing voices to low: soprano, alto, tenor and bass. Each section can be divided. Depending on the song, there can be as many as eight different parts being sung at the same time. Add to that mix a solo, then supporting instruments — piano, keyboard, guitar, percussion, flute, trumpet — and you’re talking seriously challenging music.

The community has shown its appreciation for these efforts through increased attendance at concerts, encouraging feedback and financial support.

We love that rehearsals are a fear-free zone. No one has to worry about being asked to sing solo (unless they want to) or being called out for singing a wrong note. Ken might say something like “Sopranos, you were a little flat on that ending.” But he will never single out an individual choir member (except to compliment them). That gives us the freedom to make mistakes, learn from them, and become more accomplished musicians.

We love making new friends. There’s something about shared interests and the pursuit of a common goal that builds strong bonds. By the time you’ve spent nearly 30 hours over the course of 12 weeks rehearsing together for a concert, you will have made some new friends. And when several of the same people return each fall and spring semester, those friendships can grow into something deep and lasting.

We love sharing our music with the community. There are two large concerts each year, one in the spring and a holiday concert in early December. In addition, our small group ensemble — “Joyful Noise” — performs at other community functions.

We love singing the solid gold hits from the 1960s and 1970s that, in addition to more traditional choral pieces, will be featured in our upcoming spring concert. The program includes selections originally sung by The Mamas and the Papas, Stevie Wonder, Roy Orbison, Carole King, The Association and others. For the younger choir members, these oldies are a novelty. For us more mature choir members, they remind us of times past.

We’d love to see you at this year’s spring concert. The concert will be held at 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 19, at Redmond High, 675 SW Rimrock Way. Admission is free. It was a full house at our last concert, so we encourage you to arrive early.