90 seniors make up this Olathe choir: ‘We’re having a heck of a good time’
If you’re over 50 and have a song in your heart, EncoreKC! might be your kind of group. This non-audition collection of choral and instrumental music groups has been performing since 2019.
It grew out of a project from the Fine Arts Institute in Olathe but is now an independent organization guided by artistic director Pam Smith Kelly.
Finding the right places for rehearsals and performances can be a challenge. They’re near capacity already in their large chorus, with approximately 90 performers. Because participants can range in age from 50s to 90s, they are careful to choose places that can accommodate mobility issues.
That means having a chair for every singer at rehearsals and performances as well as providing ease of access for walkers and other devices. Their rehearsal space at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church is all on one level. Although the group is not religiously affiliated, their concerts are at Grace United Methodist Church.
Linda Bruns, president of EncoreKC!’s board of directors, said the group mainly comes from Johnson County and the area south of the Plaza in Kansas City.
She’d love to have a membership from all over the metro, but people often have transportation issues. They typically rehearse once a week.
“We believe really strongly that senior adults do a lot better when they are not isolated at home, when they are out and about a little bit and are able to socialize and have some fellowship with people who enjoy the same sort of things they do, in this case music,” Bruns said.
Beyond the main chorus, there are several smaller groups that travel around performing in nursing homes and retirement communities. Instrumental ensembles include brass, woodwinds and even ukuleles.
“We feel like we’re filling a niche that maybe is helpful to the senior adults in our community,” Bruns said.
Each chorus member pays $50 per season to participate, with three seasons per year. For the smaller ensembles, the cost is $25 per season. Those fees cover the cost of sheet music.
The large chorus routinely varies the style of music they sing. Their upcoming Nov. 16 concert features American folk music such as “The Sound of Silence,” “Shenandoah” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”
They’ve previously sung showtunes and classical music, too.
“I think it would surprise people that a totally volunteer organization with a totally volunteer non-audition chorus would do as well as we do. If they come to one of our concerts, they’re not going to be disappointed in what they hear,” Bruns said.
For Bruns, the best part of the whole thing is “the smiles I see every Monday morning.”
One of those smiles belongs to chorus member Bill Langley, who’s been with the group since before it spun off from the Fine Arts Institute. He’s sung in choruses most of his life.
“What I like about choral singing — and I think we all do — is that you’re together as a community, and you’re breathing together. You’re singing the same notes. Your body is in the same rhythm, with the rhythm of the music,” he said.
Making social connections with others in the group through rehearsals and at their monthly group lunches is also a plus for Langley.
“We’re having a heck of a good time. We want to share that joy we’re experiencing with the audience,” he said.
He’s eager to see the audience’s reaction to the tunes of Pete Seeger; Peter, Paul and Mary; and more at their folk music-themed performance.
EncoreKC!’s next concert is at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16, at Grace United Methodist Church, 11485 S. Ridgeview Road in Olathe. Admission is free.