What began as formation of a community choir to present the music from “The Messiah” during the Christmas season has now grown to a full choir and orchestra which will be performing this Saturday night as part of the 2017 Gooseberry Festival.
The Grand River Valley Choir and Orchestra will present “Just Music” during a 7 p.m. concert at the First Baptist Church in Trenton. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m.
While there is no cost to attend the performance, public donations will be accepted. The GRVCO does not have a consistent source of income, with members paying a $10 fee to be a part of the organization. The money is used to help pay expenses associated with putting on the program, including purchase and/or rental of music, which can be quite expensive, according to orchestra member Carol Reger, who began as a choir member and switched to the orchestra when additional members were needed.
“It can be quite costly to purchase music, especially when you talk about vocal and instrumental music that includes strings,” she said. “We’ve been very fortunate to be able to ‘rent’ much of the music we’ve performed over the years, but that’s a luxury a lot of groups like us don’t have.”
Karla Hannaford, who assists her husband, Buddy, with the orchestra, said the music included in the programs depend on what is available to the group. While there have been “themed” concerts in the past, this year’s performance includes all types of music – some old favorites as well as some new pieces.
The choir and orchestra have been fortunate to have a connection with representatives of the Kansas City Orchestra, who have loaned music to the group in the past. Mrs. Hannaford noted that one piece of music played last year would have been as much as $250 to purchase, with many costing in the $75 range.
The GRVCO is looking at the possibility of forming a not-for-profit organization that would help in the group obtaining funds to help cover costs and expand its music library. In the meantime, the $10 per participant fee that each member pays is what is used along with donations.
The summer concert will end the seventh season for the GRVCO, with the first concert being presented in December 2009. Two concerts are held each year, including the Christmas Concert on the second Saturday in December and the summer concert on the third Saturday in June. The 42 performers this year come from communities all around Trenton, including Altamont, Cameron, Chillicothe, Marshall, Milan, Pattonsburg, Princeton and Trenton. These musicians love music and it shows through their performance.
“We always would love to have more people, especially in the choir” Mrs. Reger said. “There are a lot of wonderful voices out there and we also would like to get more young people involved.”
Mrs. Reger’s great-grandson, Andrew Pettie of Milan, is a member of this year’s choir and got involved with the encouragement of both his great-grandmother and his music teacher.
“I went to one of his concerts and heard him sing – he has a wonderful voice – and I encouraged him to sing with the choir,” she said. “We are really trying to get the word out to young people.”
At Saturday night’s concert, the orchestra will perform three separate selections and the choir will perform four on their own, with the final two selections being a combined effort of both the choir and orchestra.
A cookie reception will follow in the basement of the church.
George Brundage is the overall GRVCO musical director. Cathie Lowrey is the pianist and Buddy Hannaford is the orchestra conductor. There will be order forms available for a DVD or CD of the program.