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Southern State Singers researches history of local choirs

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The Southern State Singers will begin rehearsals for the 2010-11 season 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20, in Room 107 of Southern State Community College’s Central Campus, 100 Hobart Drive, Hillsboro.
Under the direction of John M. Glaze, the Southern State Singers are preparing to begin their 12th season.
“If you love to sing, please come to our first rehearsal and see if you feel at home in our group,” said Glaze.
Rehearsals typically last two hours and the choral group is comprised of 80-85 percent from a core of dedicated community members, with Southern State students making up the remainder of the membership.
“Southern State Community College has been very supportive of choral music and underwrites the cost of Southern State Singers as a for-credit class which can be taken by SSCC students, as well as offering the group to the community at no charge,” said Glaze. “While fall quarter typically is spent working on music for a Christmas concert, winter and spring quarters will find the group learning a wide variety of music ranging from light classical to show tune to spirituals to everything in between.”
With the help of local history buff Max Petzold, the Southern State Singers group has been researching evidence of prior community choral groups in the area.
“Very little has been found so far; however, some interesting finds include a ‘Free Entertainment’ listing at Bell’s Opera House from Feb. 19, 1901,” said Glaze. “On the program were the Hillsboro Orchestra, the Mozart Quartette Club and the Ladies Ionia Quartette. An article stated that the program was under the direction of the A.O.U.W., whatever that was!
“A published program of a two-day event listed entertainment by the ‘Hillsboro Male Quartette’ and the ‘Etude Quartette.’ From the News-Herald in April 1930, we found an All-County Music Festival being planned, listing an all-county orchestra as well as an all-county chorus. This may have been schoolchildren, however, as the article isn’t clear.
“In later years, the Highland County Chorus, under the direction of Mary Muntz, presented portions of Handel’s ‘Messiah’ each year. Beginning in the 1970s, there was a chapter of the Society for the Preservation of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America located in Hillsboro; their name was The Highlanders and they remained popular for many years. At about the same time, a chapter of Sweet Adelines—the women’s version of the Society—began in Hillsboro and stayed active for many years.”
For more information about the Southern State Singers, please contact Glaze at jglaze@hcf.com.
The Southern State Singers will begin rehearsals for the 2010-11 season 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20, in Room 107 of Southern State Community College’s Central Campus, 100 Hobart Drive, Hillsboro.
Under the direction of John M. Glaze, the Southern State Singers are preparing to begin their 12th season.
“If you love to sing, please come to our first rehearsal and see if you feel at home in our group,” said Glaze.
Rehearsals typically last two hours and the choral group is comprised of 80-85 percent from a core of dedicated community members, with Southern State students making up the remainder of the membership.
“Southern State Community College has been very supportive of choral music and underwrites the cost of Southern State Singers as a for-credit class which can be taken by SSCC students, as well as offering the group to the community at no charge,” said Glaze. “While fall quarter typically is spent working on music for a Christmas concert, winter and spring quarters will find the group learning a wide variety of music ranging from light classical to show tune to spirituals to everything in between.”
With the help of local history buff Max Petzold, the Southern State Singers group has been researching evidence of prior community choral groups in the area.
“Very little has been found so far; however, some interesting finds include a ‘Free Entertainment’ listing at Bell’s Opera House from Feb. 19, 1901,” said Glaze. “On the program were the Hillsboro Orchestra, the Mozart Quartette Club and the Ladies Ionia Quartette. An article stated that the program was under the direction of the A.O.U.W., whatever that was!
“A published program of a two-day event listed entertainment by the ‘Hillsboro Male Quartette’ and the ‘Etude Quartette.’ From the News-Herald in April 1930, we found an All-County Music Festival being planned, listing an all-county orchestra as well as an all-county chorus. This may have been schoolchildren, however, as the article isn’t clear.
“In later years, the Highland County Chorus, under the direction of Mary Muntz, presented portions of Handel’s ‘Messiah’ each year. Beginning in the 1970s, there was a chapter of the Society for the Preservation of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America located in Hillsboro; their name was The Highlanders and they remained popular for many years. At about the same time, a chapter of Sweet Adelines—the women’s version of the Society—began in Hillsboro and stayed active for many years.”
For more information about the Southern State Singers, please contact Glaze at jglaze@hcf.com.
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