If you like to sing, the Pembroke Community Choir (PCC) would love to have you join with its dedicated members who meet weekly from September to April to prepare to share choral music with the community.
The 2014-2015 season is getting underway this month. Registrations are being accepted at the first three rehearsals of the season: Monday September 8, 15, and 22. During the fall session the choir will be rehearsing for its annual Christmas concert in early December. This year’s concert will feature traditional Christmas favourites.
The choir rehearses each Monday night from 7 to 9 at Wesley Community Church, 210 Renfrew Street in Pembroke, (one block south of Pembroke St W, corner Moffat). There are no auditions, and the ability to read music is helpful but not necessary.
Full-year registration of $75 for adults and $50 for students or additional adult family members entitles the singer to participate in both the fall and winter sessions, or either one of the two. The winter session, which begins in January, prepares for a spring concert, usually scheduled for late April or early May.
“If you want to test our musical waters before making a commitment, we have a ‘try before you buy’ option,” said PCC president Marie Zettler. “You can come for any of the first three evenings of the session and pay a $20 deposit for a music folder which will either be credited toward full registration if you decide to stay, or refunded when the music is returned if you decide this is not for you at this time.”
The PCC was founded in 1958. Annual membership is approximately 60 or 70. At present the conductor is Gerald Laronde and the accompanist is Darlene TerMarsch. Besides its two annual concerts, the PCC also lends its time and talent to various community events.
“Last season we participated in the Pembroke Santa Claus parade and the Petawawa Public Library’s Christmas celebration,” said Ms. Zettler. “We also showed up as a flash mob at another community event.”
The choir has been invited to participate in a massed choir of approximately 300 singers which will perform in Carnegie Hall in New York City in January of 2015. This concert is being organized by Distinguished Concerts In New York (DCINY), and organization dedicated to bringing together choristers from around the world and providing the opportunity to perform on a world-class concert stage.
“Registrations for the DCINY concert are still being accepted,” said Ms. Zettler. “However, to be eligible you must be a member of the PCC.”
For more information on the Pembroke Community Choir or the DCINY concert, visit www.pembrokecommunitychoir.org.
You can also save time at registration by downloading the fillable registration form from the “Join Us” tab on the choir’s website. You can fill it out on your computer (NOT by hand!), then print it and bring it with your payment.
