Older adults who love to sing can experience a new adventure this spring when the Encore Chorales of New York City East and West begin a new semester of singing starting January 10. No auditions are required, and no prior musical experience is necessary. The first rehearsal will be an open rehearsal to try out singing with an Encore ensemble and experience the fun of singing with a new community. Interested older adults can register online for the full 15-week rehearsal season at https://encorecreativity.org/register or enjoy the open rehearsal prior to registration.
Registration is open now for the spring semester of singing with Encore Creativity in New York City. The local groups will sing fun and spirited renditions of choral classics and Broadway hits, from Giuseppi Verdi’s Va Pensiero to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s perennial favorite The Sound of Music (Choral Highlights). No auditions or experience are required for an Encore program. Local conductor Bernadette Hoke will lead the New York City ensemble, introducing new and experienced singers to the joy that singing brings.
The Encore Chorale of New York City West meets each Wednesday from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Broadway Presbyterian Church. For singers on the upper east side, the Encore Chorale of New York City East will meet each Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church. Singers registered with each New York City ensemble may choose to attend the rehearsal location that fits their schedule week-to-week.
“Encore Creativity for Older Adults believes in the transformational power of creativity, and we know that all older adults have a place in the arts,” said Joshua Vickery, Chief Executive Officer of Encore Creativity for Older Adults. “Music is vital to the health and wellbeing of older adults, builds community, and creates memories that last a lifetime. We are beyond thrilled to welcome all older adults to an accessible and enjoyable artistic community with Encore Creativity.”
Encore Creativity singers from across the nation recently joined together for a concert drawing over 300 singers at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as a part of the Millennium Stage series on December 26. The concert, also livestreamed on YouTube, was a culmination of the 15-week fall semester for Encore Creativity for a grand celebration of creative aging in the arts.
Tuition for the full spring semester is $190 and includes all sheet music and a CD highlighting the singer’s voice part. Scholarships are available for those needing financial assistance. For more information, visit encorecreativity.org or call (301) 261-5747.
About Encore Creativity for Older Adults
Founded in 2007 by Jeanne Kelly during a National Institutes of Health-funded study to address the mental and physical health benefits of singing for older adults, Encore Creativity for Older Adults now hosts chorales nationwide, plus its annual summer camp, winter retreat and travel abroad programs. Encore. Encore’s other programs, also offered online, include its ROCKS rock ‘n’ roll ensembles and its Arts for Life programs for those with cognitive change and their care partners. Across all its programs, Encore now has more than 1,500 singers and 40 ensembles throughout the country, from the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan region to Santa Clarita, California. Encore’s mission is to create meaningful arts experiences supporting lifelong learning, wellness, and fun for all older adults.
Encore Creativity for Older Adults provides a wonderful opportunity to learn how to sing beautiful music in a supportive and fun community. It’s become a very meaningful experience for me!
Music and singing are good for the soul!
I’ve sung with this group for two years. I started from scratch and learned to sing with them. Last fall, after our third rehearsal, I heard a new member say, “I can’t believe it. Every time I walk in to our weekly practice, I come in with the weight of the world on my shoulders. Every time I walk out I hold my head high, I’ve breathed to the bottom of my lungs and my spirit soars. And I have so much fun!” Ditto.
Bernadette Hoke is a force of nature. She mixes humor, attention to details I never knew existed, love of music, support for all of us.
Singing in the Encore Chorale is a wonderful experience. Before Encore I hadn’t sung in a group since high school, but I slotted right in. It’s a very friendly group of folks singing for the pure joy of it, and joyful it is.
Encore provides a lot of support to people who want to learn, so don’t worry if you think you don’t know enough. If you can vaguely carry a tune, you’ll be fine.