Choral Society celebrates a quarter century as a stand-alone nonprofit

PULLMAN — While the Palouse Choral Society will be celebrating 25 years, some of its longest standing members remember that the group has been around for much longer.

The choir has taken on several names throughout its history. What started as an informal singing group in the late 1970s has transformed into a well-known chorus with more than 100 members.

President Anneliese Zook said the society is honoring when it became a stand-alone nonprofit arts organization, as well as acknowledging its growth over the years.

“Considering that we’ve stayed around while other nonprofits have sort of dwindled over time,” Zook said. “I think it’s pretty impressive we’re still alive and thriving.”

The society will hold a series of concerts to commemorate the anniversary, with the first happening this weekend. “Listen to the Silence” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday at the Simpson United Methodist Church in Pullman. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $8 for students.

Other future concerts include “My Spirit Rejoices” in December, “Good News” in February and “25 Here to Thrive” in April. Those who plan on attending all events can purchase season tickets for $60. More information can be found by visiting the society’s website at palousechoralsociety.com.

Zook said the choir began as the Friends of Music in the late 1970s, which gathered in the home of former conductor Glen Lohckery. The group joined the Washington Idaho Symphony and often performed alongside the orchestra.

The choir’s name changed to the Washington Idaho Symphony Chorale in the late 1980s, she said, and again to the Idaho Washington Concert Choral when it became an established independent organization in 2001.

Zook said it wasn’t until 2011 when the group became the Palouse Choral Society.

The audition-only choir sings a variety of classical and contemporary music from across cultures.

In a typical season, Zook said the society holds concerts in the fall, winter and spring, along with a small chamber choir and children’s choir concert in February or March. Some members will also go Christmas caroling around neighborhoods in the area.

The group will also travel and perform across the nation and the world, she said. This summer the choir went to Austria for a two-week-long festival. Next year, members will perform at the Carnegie Hall in New York.

Monique Lillard, a member since 1988, said she’s been a part of the choir for so long because “there’s something about the joy of singing with people that’s just wonderful.”

She keeps coming to rehearsals because of the range of music they perform. She said the current artistic director, Matthew Myers, does a great job introducing modern songs and arrangements in different languages as well as sticking to the classics.

Jill Freuden, who joined around 1992, said it’s satisfying to be a small part of a big sound, connecting to others who are also singing.

“The sense that you’re contributing to something that’s so much bigger than you is so satisfying,” she said. “There’s sort of an electricity that can happen when you’re on stage and are all in tune and together.”

Holly McCollister, a member since 1999, said she enjoys the community aspect of the group. She considered all members her dear friends, and wouldn’t know where she’d be without them.

“These are my people,” she said. “We’re from all walks of life who are brought together to make music, and it’s uplifting.”

Janice Willard, who joined around 1991, agrees. She said the choir being a big family composed of different people, from farmers to physicians across northern Idaho and Washington, is a joyful thing.

“We’re really spread out around the area and what we do for a living,” she said. “But there’s this common core, which is that we all sing, and that’s what matters.”

She said the opportunity to get together and perform music has been a lifesaver for many.

“It’s what’s kept me alive,” she said. “It’s seen us through hard points in our lives as an outlet.”

Tickets to the “Listen to the Silence” concert can be purchased at bit.ly/48sGuUB.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.