“Why can’t we keep singing all year long?”
That was the question posed by Kathy Ryan at the conclusion of a six-week parent-teacher chorus at Belmont High School in 2012. A group of similarly minded singers gathered in the high school chorus room to float the idea of a year-round singing group that would be open to anyone seeking to raise their voices in song with their friends and neighbors.
More than a dozen years later, the group has grown, and the Belmont Community Chorus continues to unite singers who find joy in music. This week, the chorus will close out its spring season with a concert celebrating humanity’s connection with the natural world.
Newest to the chorus is music director Calvin Issac Wamser, who took the helm last fall. A music educator, composer, and performer, Wamser is a self-identified “choir kid” who has been singing all his life. He recently completed a master’s degree program at the New England Conservatory for choral conducting and is excited that his first professional job leading a chorus is in Belmont.
“I was a boy soprano until I was 16, in a choir in my hometown of Philadelphia, and I just always thought there was some magic when some amount of people join their voices together,” he said. “I have always been a big fan and proponent of community singing. I just can’t get enough of it.”
Wamser, currently assistant conductor with the Boston Children’s Chorus, aims to grow the chorus, currently at 40 members, and values singers open to experimentation and community.
“I love a singer who is just gung ho and is willing to try new things and experiment with their voice and to laugh along with everyone else,” he said.
Longtime member Debora Hoffman joined the chorus when she moved to Belmont, hoping to connect with her new community, meet new people, and find new friends.
Although she had not sung since childhood, she found kinship in what became “a very tight-knit group.”
“It’s a really fun activity, and joining with other people to sing and make a beautiful sound is a unique experience. You just feel like you are making beautiful art together. And there is something really special about doing this with other people,” she said.
A communications professional at Boston University by day, she enjoys the chorus as a respite from her otherwise busy life.
“It’s just a very different thing and I look forward to it every week. I have a lot of pride in what we accomplish,” she said.
While the music can be challenging, Hoffman said she trusts the process.
“Our director will get us across the finish line, and it will be good,” she said.
The May 7 concert, to be held at Payson Park Church, 365 Belmont St., is titled The Voice of the Waters, and will explore music celebrating humanity’s connection to nature, Wamser said. Selections will include “Breaths” by Ysaye Barnwell, “The Pasture” by Z. Randall Stroope, “Springtime Love” by Wilhelm Peterson-Berger, and “I Denna ljuva Sommartid (Song of Summer)” by Anders Öhrwall.
A reception will follow.
“Every song has to do with some connection that humans have with nature, whether it be a spiritual connection or pastoral ideal. The message of the concert is that we have a connection to the Earth and we have a duty to protect it,” Wamser said.
“It’s going to be a great concert,” Hoffman said. “We have some really fun songs, a nice variety. We always get a little nervous, but we always pull it off.”
The Belmont Community Chorus welcomes new members at all levels of experience.
“Anyone can join. You don’t have to audition, and you don’t have to live in Belmont,” Hoffman said. “We take anyone from teens on up.”
Wamser added, “When you’re singing as a choir, all you need is yourself. Your body is your instrument. Just show up and add your voice to the mix. I think there’s some magic in that.”
For more information on the concert or the Belmont Community Chorus, visit belmontcommunitychorus.org. The spring concert is May 7 at 7 p.m. at Payson Park Church, 365 Belmont St. in Belmont.
