Photo: Tonia Swennes, Trillium Woods
In late November, residents of Plymouth’s Trillium Woods Chorale gathered together to usher in the start of the holiday season through song. “It puts parents and grandparents in the limelight,” says chorale conductor Rob Graham.
The audience for the November concert was composed of fellow Trillium Woods residents as well as family members and friends, gathered together to enjoy the gospel songs, Christmas standards and folk tunes sung by the 35-person chorale.
The Trillium Woods Chorale is one of three Vintage Voices programs in the Twin Cities, along with the Sabathani Community Center in South Minneapolis and Keystone Community Services in St. Paul. “We see a wide range of experience,” Graham says. “We get singers who are still active in their church choirs, and we get singers who have never formally sung in a choir. What they have in common is that they love to sing, and they love to be around others.”
The group at Trillium Woods started eight years ago. “We have at least half of the group who have been in it since the beginning,” Graham says. “A lot of those folks are fierce advocates of inviting new folks to join the choir. Each year when we welcome new singers, I’ve found they’ve stuck with it.”
The Trillium Woods Chorale meets two semesters per year. Each semester consists of 10 weeks of rehearsals, which culminate in an end-of-semester performance at the end of November and then again at the end of May.
Graham says he likes to get input from the singers each year when he’s selecting the nine to 10 songs they’ll be performing. “Especially at Trillium Woods, they really enjoy doing arrangements of familiar folk songs or American standards like The Way You Look Tonight. A lot of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, too,” he says.
Rehearsals, which last 90 minutes, begin with physical stretching. Next, Graham leads the choir through a series of breathing and vocal exercises. “We learn by rote,” Graham says. “I’ll sing, and they’ll sing it back.” Singers are also provided with large-print sheet music and lyrics. For those who aren’t comfortable reading sheet music, recordings can help jump-start the process.
The concerts, like the rehearsals, are mindful in their structure. “We stand when we sing, but we can’t stand for 90 minutes,” Graham says. He incorporates breaks throughout the show. “It gives our singers an opportunity to share fun tidbits about the music or a poem that ties in thematically with the music,” Graham says. “It also gives our singers an opportunity to take a break and catch their breath.”
Welcome Christmas
Vintage Voices is an offshoot of the Minneapolis-based performing arts nonprofit VocalEssence, which highlights the choral art form. “Our tagline is ‘Together we sing,’ and that embodies what we are,” Rob Graham says.
Each year, all three Vintage Voices programs are invited to participate in the Welcome Christmas concert at Northrop on the University of Minnesota campus. “All of the singers under the VocalEssence umbrella can participate in [the concert],” Graham says.
This includes the VocalEssence Chorus and Ensemble Singers as well as the youth program, Singers of This Age. “They all talk about what an awesome experience that is, to sing in this mass choir setting in a state-of-the-art performance hall,” Graham says.
Welcome Christmas is scheduled from 4–5:30 p.m. December 7 and 8, with tickets open to the public. Find out more at northrop.umn.edu.
Benefits to Body and Mind
Trillium Woods Chorale member Jean Spong has been singing her whole life. “When I learned that Trillium Woods had its own chorale, I couldn’t have been more pleased,” she says. “We moved to Trillium during the early months of COVID-19, but as soon as it was deemed all right for us to sing together, ‘distanced and with masks,’ we did. It was a lifeline for many of us.”
What are the benefits of being a member?
Jean Spong (JC): The benefits of being a member of the chorale are many. First and foremost, we have a wonderful music director Rob Graham, who knows just how to bring out the best in us.
Physically, we are encouraged to sit or stand tall, breathe deeply, listen to each other and sing from our hearts. We also have the opportunity to build relationships within the group and be there for each other when a hug or a pat on the back is needed.
Musically, it’s educational and fun to work on many different styles of music, both old and new, easy and challenging, and feel it come alive as we become concert-ready. And then, we get to experience sharing our music with the other residents of Trillium Woods, who are loyal supporters of the chorale.
Is there a specific piece or experience that really stands out?
JC: Music calms me when I’m anxious; It energizes me when I’m tired. Music brings joy to a celebration; It brings back memories, nearly forgotten. Sometimes, it’s the words that make the piece special, … the sheer beauty of a recurring melody .. [or] instrumental accompaniment that helps bring the words to life. Whether I am a listener or a performer, music has and continues to enrich my life.
Trillium Woods
5855 Cheshire Parkway; 763.744.9400
Facebook: Trillium Woods
VocalEssence
1900 Nicollet Ave., Mpls.; 612.547.1451
Facebook: VocalEssence
Instagram: @vocalessencempls
