30 years (and, counting…) of talent and friendships: The Magnolia Chorale
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| First Magnolia Chorale Concert program cover, designed by singer Megan Furness. Photo courtesy of .Straighten |
As weather goes, the evening of December 8, 1989 was fairly mild for Seattle. The temperature was about 45°F. It was cloudy but, remarkably, there was no rain. So when a group of singers, HOW DID THEY FORM AND HOW DID THEY BECOME MAGNOLIA CHORALE, AS REFERENCED BELOW? traveling across the Ballard Bridge at rush hour from Magnolia, or from their jobs in all corners of the city, made their way to the old Nordic Heritage Museum to perform a holiday concert, traffic was their biggest challenge.
The hassle of getting to Ballard by 6 o’clock on a Friday evening was soon brushed aside by the excitement of performing for the first time as the fledgling choral group, Magnolia Chorale. Don Austin, co-founder and first music director of the Chorale recalls: “The museum was hosting another event earlier in the evening which brought quite a crowd to the location. But when it came time for our concert to start, the crowds had left, and we ended up with very few people in the folding chairs in front of us. There were more singers on the risers than people in the audience.”
(I just used the snipping tool to change the text box into an image--at right...Bruce)
A second concert the next night at St. Anne’s Church in
Queen Anne had a similarly skimpy audience. However, the third concert on
Sunday afternoon December 10, 1989, at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Magnolia produced
a respectable turnout.
So how did that dedicated band of music makers, known as the
Magnolia Chorale, come to be? And where did they go from there? Well, it’s an
interesting story.
Springing from A Celebration of Hope
The seeds of Magnolia Chorale were planted in 1979 when singers from church choirs in Magnolia, Queen Anne, and Ballard joined with those from the Magnolia Episcopal Church of the Ascension to present Skillings and Johnson’s A Celebration of Hope. The members of the combined ecumenical choir developed strong friendships during rehearsals, and those friendships continued to grow well after the event was over.
During the next decade, several Magnolia churches established an ecumenical Thanksgiving eve service which included singers from all the church choirs. Those services brought together many of the same singers from the earlier Celebration of Hope event.
In 1989, when Church of the Ascension decided to present a tenth anniversary performance of the Celebration of Hope, many of the original singers returned as well as several new recruits. During rehearsal breaks for the 1989 concert, several singers talked about the possibility of starting a community choir. The idea was to create a larger group to perform a broader range of music than they were singing in their church choirs. About 15 singers expressed interest in participating.
In July 1989, Don Austin, Pat Gaffney, and Carolyn Scheuer, called a meeting of interested singers for the first of many organizational meetings at Scheuer’s house in Magnolia to create a framework for the new choir. Topics included: the kind of music they would sing, where they would sing it, how they would get the word out to recruit singers and draw audiences, who would direct and accompany them, and how they would get the funds to pay for the music, venues, and other basic expenses.
At one of the first meetings, Steph Ross (another founding member), suggested that Austin should be music director, based on his education and experience. Austin had a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, and a Master of Arts for Teachers degree in Music from the University of Washington. In addition, starting in 1983, Austin had often filled in as interim choral director at the Magnolia United Church of Christ (MUCC). The rest of the planners agreed with the selection and Austin graciously accepted. He also agreed to direct the first season without compensation.
Pat Gaffney offered to take care of the sound system, which involved bringing his own equipment to provide amplification and record the concerts. He also kept track of the historical records of the Chorale. Scheuer took on building community support, fundraising, and concert promotion.
Starting from scratch
During those first meetings the group decided to have about 12 rehearsals each semester WHAT EQUALED A SEMESTER on Sunday nights. Initially, rehearsals were at Magnolia Episcopal Church of the Ascension. After the first year they rotated between Church of the Ascension and MUCC.
The group was also committed to integrating a broad range of music styles into their repertoire. Austin recalled, “It was unanimously determined that if we were going to put together a community choir, it needed to include sacred and secular music. That opened the door to selections from musical theatre, pop, and all kinds of other music. The challenge was to decide how to mix sacred and secular music into a community concert and to find music to sing. This was also the beginning of our own music library.”
The new choir decided on two concert series a year—one in early December, to avoid the holiday rush; and, a second in late April or early May. In deciding where to hold concerts, they thought that the best way to attract new singers would be to perform where potential singers would come to listen. Since Chorale members were from Queen Anne and Ballard as well as Magnolia, they decided to schedule three performances—one in each of those three neighborhoods.
Another big challenge for the group was how to pay for music, venue rental, and other costs. They set a small amount for member dues. And, that first season the accompanist was paid by donations from members. Chorale members also chipped in and bought Austin a sweater from Magnolia’s LeRoux’s Men’s and Boys’ Wear as a thank-you gift.
Scheuer owned Carolyn’s Beauty Salon, which she started in Magnolia Village three decades earlier. By 1989 she knew most of the merchants in the area and had great instincts about how to encourage some of her fellow businesses to support an up-and-coming musical organization in their own backyard. She gathered their checks along with their business cards, which were included as ads in the concert program. Each sponsor received two complimentary tickets to the upcoming performance.
Scheuer also compiled a list of individuals (friends, neighbors, family members, coworkers, etc.) who might be willing to donate. Each semester she sent them a letter with information about the upcoming concert and included a section at the bottom to be torn off and (hopefully) sent back with a donation. “Friends of the Chorale,” as they were called, were listed in the program, and also received complimentary tickets to the concerts. In addition, Scheuer supervised poster design and printing, and distributed posters around the neighborhood to be posted in merchants’ windows.
Expanding the repertoire and building traditions
That first concert set the model for future repertoires. Typically half of the December concert would feature a major multimovement piece such as Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and Rutter’s Magnificat, and the other half would include a mixture of holiday standards and carols from all over the world. A few carols were sung with audience participation.
Spring concerts tended to be a bit lighter but still
substantive, ranging from Wagner’s Pilgrims’ Chorus and Fauré’s Requiem to selections from
Beauty and the Beast, Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, the Beach Boys, and
a whole host of Disney movie classics.
Après Sing celebrations were a much-loved tradition started by Austin and his wife Fay after the first concert series. Members would bring friends or family members, as well as a dish to share, to a gathering after the Sunday concert. Attendees enjoyed a glass (or two) of champagne and chatted with other members while a recording of the Saturday night concert played in the background.
As part of his role as music director, Austin was also the Chorale’s music librarian, responsible for ordering and maintaining all the sheet music, which was stored in his basement. In 1996 he turned over library management to Celeste Stubbs who continued as music librarian for another 20 years or so before turning the library over to Darrel and Betty Ede. The Chorale further expanded its music selections by borrowing from other choirs. By the Chorale’s 35th anniversary in 2024 the library contained XXX pieces with an average of XX copies of each[PM1] .
DATE? The core group of Magnolia Chorale singers stayed with the group and their numbers continued to grow. Eventually committees were formed and a Board of Directors was established, which spread the growing list of tasks among several Chorale members.
In the early 1990’s the Chorale started reaching out to the community. They accepted multiple invitations, to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Seattle Mariners baseball and Thunderbirds hockey games.
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Don Austin directing Magnolia Chorale in the Star-Spangled
Banner |
If the Mariners were playing the Toronto Bluejays, the Chorale would also sing a four-part arrangement of “O Canada” that Austin had secured from a music company in Canada.
The holidays brought Chorale members out caroling in Magnolia Village during Winterfest. They also performed outreach concerts at senior living venues around the city and at various park festivals throughout the summer.
In spring 1993 the Chorale presented “Freedom and Fantasy”. The first half was a patriotic set that included Randall Thompson’s “Testament of Freedom,” Irving Berlin’s “Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor,” and Norman Luboff’s “Dixie”.
Cliff Lenz, a Magnolian at the time and a local TV personality and Emmy winning composer and television producer, was enlisted to narrate the spoken portion of “The Testament of Freedom”. Lenz continued to support the Chorale over the years as Master of Ceremonies (1994), accompanist on synthesizer for Miss Saigon (1995), guitar accompaniment for “Edelweiss” (1999) and as a member of the Chorale’s board of directors (DATES?).
In August 1993, the Chorale took the “Fantasy” half of its spring concert on
the road…literally. Bill Toney, a former Magnolia resident and good friend of
Austin’s, towed his hay wagon down from Coupeville for Chorale members to decorate
as a float for the Magnolia Days parade. Speakers were hooked up to project
singer’s voices doing music from their spring concert program as Toney towed
the float down the McGraw Street parade route and into second place!
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Magnolia Chorale members on their second place Magnolia Days float in August 1993. |
Austin continued to direct the Chorale through spring 1997. In the first few years, accompanists turned over a bit more frequently. Pianist Diane Beckman left after the first year and was replaced by Dick Woodruff for the December 1990 concert. In spring 1991 Diane Johnson/IS FORWARD SLASH CORRECT?Lemcio took over as accompanist and continued through spring 1999.
Although Austin stepped down as director after the spring 1997 concert, he briefly stepped back in as director for the December 1999 tenth anniversary concert, and again in 2003, and 2007. His early guidance helped establish a solid foundation for subsequent music directors and all who added a new dimension to the group.
Many of the first group of members continued singing with the Chorale well into its third decade, including Pat Gaffney, Roger and Marlys Seeman, Ken and Lucia Schubert, Liz Roach, and Bill Zachary. Gaffney, Roger Seeman, and Zachary were still singing with the group at the 35th anniversary celebration.
Changing with the seasons
Over the next few decades, the Chorale continued to flourish under the guidance of several talented music directors.
Ron Haight took over the Chorale director’s podium in spring 1997. A graduate of Seattle Pacific University (SPU), Haight had been music director for a local church choir WHICH ONE? for many years and spent several years teaching music in the Northshore School District.
Haight directed the Chorale through spring 1999. His December repertoires included international holiday classic arrangements from notable composers such as Rutter, Holst, Ralph Vaughn Williams and more. Spring performances ranged from spirituals and folk songs to American standards and show tunes, including selections from The Sound of Music, Oklahoma, and South Pacific.
Reaching out to the new millennium
The new millennium brought a new director—Charles W. Zwicki—and a new accompanist—Patty Cheek. Zwicki earned a BA in Trumpet Performance and an MA in Vocal Performance, with an emphasis on Choral Conducting, and a Master of Music Education from Northwest Missouri State University. That led to teaching music at the high school level and being appointed Director of Music Ministries at Lake Forest Park Presbyterian Church in 1991.
.Zwicki’s spring concert repertoire ranged from “Composers of the English Tradition,” including Henry Purcell, Benjamin Britten, Thomas Morley, Orlando Gibbons, Arthur Sullivan, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and John Rutter, to showtune favorites, and selections from swing, and rock and roll CAN YOU NAME SOME?. December concert offerings ranged from the sacred, such as the Gregorian Chant Puer Natus Est and Poulenc’s Gloria, to melodic winter harmonies and familiar holiday favorites. In 2002, Zwicki added Albrecht’s “Go in Peace and Love” which became the traditional closing anthem for Chorale concerts for many years to come.
In July 2002 and again in July 2005, Zwicki invited Chorale members to join his Lake Forest Park Presbyterian choir on two European singing tours. Several Chorale members participated in both trips, which included concerts in churches and cathedrals throughout England and Scotland (2002), and Eastern Europe (2005).
A few more accompanists came and went in the early 2000’s. Noel Channon took over as accompanist for one concert in spring 2002, followed by Emil Illiev from fall 2002 through spring 2004. Then in fall 2004, Clint Gawthrop became accompanist for the Chorale and continued for the next 17 years through four music directors. Gawthrop was known for making specific accompaniment scores so that he wouldn't have to turn a single page in performance. He would shrink down the score to a tiny blur of notes and then cut and paste them onto a separate sheet. The resulting document would spool all the way across the piano.
Austin stepped back in to direct the spring 2007 concerts because shortly before rehearsals were to start, Zwicki fell off a ladder and crushed his ankle. Zwicki decided not to return the next year, so the director’s baton was passed to Dr. Heather MacLaughlin Garbes in fall 2007. Dr. Garbes had a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Wisconsin and Master and Doctor of Music degrees in Choral Conducting from the University of Washington.
In her time directing the Chorale’s fall 2007 and spring 2008 concert series, Dr. Garbes continued to expand the repertoire. She included pieces such as Felix Mendelssohn’s Choral Fanfare for Christmas, the Huron Carol (Dale Warland), and the South African folk song Bambalela alongside more familiar showtunes and spirituals. In spring 2008, Dr. Garbes moved to Chicago to take a job as assistant professor of music at Lake Forest College.
In fall 2008, Jean-Marie Kent took the reins as the Chorale’s music director. Having already earned her Master of Music in Conducting at McGill University in Montreal, and her Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Regina, Kent was working on a Doctor of Choral Conducting degree from the University of Washington, specializing in collaboration and community engagement. Before coming to Seattle she had conducted several orchestras and choirs, including the University of Regina Chamber Singers, the Nanaimo Symphony Orchestra, and the Victoria Civic Orchestra.
Kent brought great enthusiasm for capturing the energy generated by the diverse experiences, knowledge, and skill that each member brings to a community choir. CAN YOU EXPLAIN MORE PLEASE? From fall 2008 through spring 2010, Kent continued to expand the Chorale repertoire with more jazz and pop along with major classical sacred pieces. For her second concert series in spring 2009 she commissioned “Music in the Night” from Eric Barnum to mark the Chorale’s 20th
In July 2010, having just earned her doctorate from UW, Dr. Kent led the Chorale on a two-night trip, to Duncan BC on Vancouver Island to sing with the Encore women's chorus, of which Dr. Kent’s sister, Christine Fagan, was a member.
The next day the Chorale drove to nearby Shawnigan Lake School, which was Gaffney’s alma mater. The Chorale’s performance in the school’s chapel brought back fond memories for Gaffney: “I sang in the choir in that chapel, going from first treble to bass, and that is where my lifelong love of choral singing was born.”
It was kind of a bittersweet experience because shortly after the trip to BC, Dr. Kent accepted a position at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan and turned the director’s baton over to Dr. Julia Tai who directed her first Chorale concert in 2010.
Moving into the third decade
Dr. Tai had earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Arts Performance and Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, followed by a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Washington. In 2007, Tai became music director at MUCC and got to know several members who sang in the Magnolia Chorale. So when she became music director of the Chorale, she was already very familiar with the group.
During Tai’s tenure, the Chorale sang major classical works and holiday favorites from around the world. Her first holiday concert series in 2010 revolved around “Carols and Lullabies”, a suite of traditional carols in Spanish and Catalan composed by Conrad Susa, and its companion piece “Ceremony of Carols” by Benjamin Britten. In spring they lightened it up with themes like “100% Jazz” dedicated to George Shearing WHO IS HE? in spring 2011, and “America Sings” full of folk songs and poetry in spring 2012.
That semester Evan Norberg joined the Chorale as assistant director, having recently earned a Master of Music degree from Central Washington University. In addition to directing selected pieces each semester and filling in when Dr. Kent was out of town, he also contributed his strong baritone to the ensemble. Norberg continued in those roles through spring 2018 and returned to sing with the Chorale for the spring 2019 concert.
Dr. Tai left the Chorale after the spring 2013 concerts due to increasing demands from her position as Founder and Co-Artistic Director of the Seattle Modern Orchestra, and Music Director of Philharmonia Northwest. As luck would have it, Dr. Kent had returned to Seattle, and the Magnolia Chorale board asked if she would return to direct the Chorale. She agreed and started with the fall 2013 concert themed “Silver Bells” in honor of the group’s 25th anniversary year.
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Several Magnolia Choral founding members at December 2013
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Over the next seven years Dr. Kent’s
concerts were notable for their lively themes, both dramatic and playful and
the props and costumes that came along with them. Dr. Kent also often invited local
children’s choirs to sing a piece or two with the Chorale and then perform
their own sets for delighted audiences.
One of Dr. Kent’s favorite concerts was “Songs at an Exhibition” in spring 2015. The Chorale invited various artists around the area to create a work of art based on a piece in the repertoire. Each work was projected on a screen and the actual piece was carried into the performance space before the Chorale sang the related choral piece. A review of the concert is available here.[PM2] .
In spring 2018, Evan Norberg bade farewell to the Chorale as assistant director to focus on new responsibilities as a director of choirs, theory, and voice at Shoreline Community College and artistic director of Wellspring Ensemble. Yuly Kopkin, who had earned a Master of Music in Choral Conducting at the University of Washington on a Fulbright scholarship, joined the Chorale as assistant music director for a year, before moving on to form his own choir.
In fall 2019 Katrina Turman became assistant director of the Chorale. After receiving a BA in music from the University of Oregon, Turman earned a Post-Graduate certificate in advanced choral conducting from the Kodály Institute in Kecskemét, Hungary. Turman taught and conducted choirs in the Bay Area for a few years before moving to Seattle to earn a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from UW.
The best laid plans
In summer 2019, Dr. Kent and the Chorale board started planning a very special 30th anniversary celebration for the following spring. The planned repertoire was to include selected favorites of past directors, some of whom would attend the Saturday evening gala and direct their favorite piece for the performance. Unfortunately, five rehearsals into the semester, COVID-19 closed down rehearsals and caused the rest of the season, and the 30th Anniversary concert, to be cancelled.
However, the Chorale itself carried on during COVID isolation. Over the next two years, online events gave members a chance to stay in touch through Zoom gatherings. Dr. Kent and Turman continued to provide creative and instructive online events to strengthen voices as well as connections among members. PLEASE GIVE EXAMPLES. In Spring 2022, Turman completed her master’s degree at UW and accepted a position as music director at Columbia Choirs of Metropolitan Seattle.
Bringing back the joy of singing
In January 2022, in-person rehearsals for the Chorale’s first concert in more than two years resumed (with vaccination and masking requirements). Gawthrop retired, so for the first time in 18 years the Chorale had a new accompanist—Dominico Reyes. The group presented a single performance at Magnolia Lutheran Church on Saturday night April 23, 2022, under the direction of Dr. Kent.
Themed “Turn, Turn,” the concert featured Seasons: A Song Cycle by Linda Steen Spevacek, and other romantic crowd favorites. Although the risers had fewer singers and the pews had fewer audience members than before the pandemic, the enthusiasm was as strong as ever.
The spring 2022 concert marked the end of Dr. Kent’s direction of the Chorale as music director. She accepted a position as artistic director at Seattle Children’s Chorus. A strawberry shortcake and ice cream social at the end of the summer brought a great turnout of past and present members and friends of the Chorale, to acknowledge her creative and lighthearted leadership over the previous decade. All joined in for a group sing of “Dancing Queen” directed by the newly named music director Joseph To.
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| Lucia Schubert(L) and Jean-Marie Kent(R) at ice cream social farewell event September 2022. |
With a BA in Music Education and an MA in Choral Conducting, To brings a particular passion for world music to Magnolia Chorale. His first concert series in December 2022 featured an international slate with the African Noel, Hanukkah Songs, carols from Spain, Scandinavia, and Columbia as well as a three-song tribute to the people of Ukraine. Both Chorale and audience members wore masks (due to a recent Covid spike) but the music shone through.
In spring 2023 the masks came off as the Chorale presented “Letters to Our Beloved Earth” with a mix of classical, contemporary, and international selections dedicated to the wonders of the planet. Two pieces made their Seattle debut: “HuXi,” composed by Ng Cheuk-yin, and “Mae-e,” composed by Kentaro Sato.
Zhanhong Kuang took on the role of accompanist in Fall 2023 and recruiting for new members ramped up. By spring 2024 the Chorale had returned to nearly 50 members in time to celebrate its 35th anniversary. A Saturday night Gala on May 4 at Pilgrim Hall at MUCC started the festivities with a sumptuous catered fare of small bites and desserts. The music included favorites from over the decades as well as a new piece—"To Anyone Who Needs a Song”—which was commissioned for the 35th anniversary celebration from local composer Theresa Redmond.
Three former music
directors—Don Austin, Dr. Heather MacLaughlin Garbes, and Julia Tai—past board
presidents Jean Withers and Ann Macfarlane, and many former Chorale members
attended. Dr. Kent was there in spirit but was busy directing her new choirs at
the time.
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LtoR: Magnolia Chorale music directors Don Austin, Heather Garbes, Joseph To, and Julia Tai. |
Several of those veteran members joined the Chorale in singing a contemporary arrangement of “Shenandoah” that was first performed by the Chorale in 2003.
There was genuine joy in the room among singers past and present, former staff, and long-time audience members. Former assistant director Norberg attended Sunday’s matinee performance at Church of the Ascension and Austin, Withers, and Macfarlane returned on Sunday as well.
The turnout of Magnolia Chorale supporters and members past and present for that 35th anniversary celebration suggests that the strong bonds of friendship, loyalty, and love of music that built Magnolia Chorale, will continue to sustain it for the years to come.
[PM1]I have requested this info from Darrel Ede and Joseph To. If they don’t respond I will delete this sentence.
[PM2]To Monica: I don’t know whether you want to link to outside documents, but provided it just in case.
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