Southeast Community Choir to perform

‘A Celebration of Pop Music’

Special To The Enterprise

The Southeast Community Choir will be presenting “A Celebration of American Pop Music” Sunday, beginning at 3 p.m. in the Edsel T. Godbey Appalachian Center Theater of Southeast Kentucky Community And Technical College. Led by longtime SKCTC professor of music Ann Schertz, the Southeast Community Choir will be singing old American standards like “Ain’t Misbehavin” and “What A Wonderful World” in addition to more contemporary selections like “Phantom of the Opera.”

“This spring’s concert selections are a little bit of a change for this choir,” said Schertz. “We have traditionally performed religious selections, and we always enjoy doing that, but this semester we chose more of a secular program. We’ve shifted to popular music, and members of this semester’s choir have had so much fun with these numbers during rehearsals, that we hope this enthusiasm will be contagious with the audience.”

Musical selections that will be performed Sunday include a “Rags To Ritz” Irving Berlin medley, “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” “The Water is Wide,” and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom Of The Opera.” Choir members are exceptionally excited to perform a stirring arrangement of Andrea Boceilli’s “Time To Say Goodbye.”

“There’s good energy in this choir,” said Southeast Community Choir member Lauren Adams, who is also a SKCTCS student worker. “We may be small in numbers, but Ms. Schertz does a great job leading us and bringing out a sound that’s big and beautiful. You can tell that Ms. Schertz loves music, and she instills that within us, too. Monday night choir rehearsals have been very enjoyable, and it’s good to know there are people here who value the gift of music, how important it is, and how it enhances our lives.”

Because of the large-scaled production of the community-based play “Higher Ground,” at Southeast, the community choir was on a hiatus for a few years. According to Schertz, however, there was a good number of students who wanted to see the choir resurrected. She said the choir is currently more student-driven.

“We have students who have even helped with the song selections,” Schertz said. “The choir is now a good blend of students, faculty, and staff, and I’m pleased to work with this group of dedicated folk. Their enthusiasm for music keeps me inspired. My hat goes off to the students who chose this repertoire. It’s a small group of singers, but they are so interested in making beautiful music.”

The Southeast Choir is led by Schertz and is accompanied by Clara Atkins Pope on the piano. The concert is free and open to the public. Donations are welcome to offset the cost of music and will be added to an established choir music fund.