New community choir gaining momentum in Manitowoc

As any music lover can attest, music can convey a myriad of emotions — such as love, dismay, playfulness, enthusiasm and joy, to name a few.

For the 60 members of the newly minted Capitol Civic Centre Community Chorale, the sound of their cumulative voices raises one huge vote for joy.

But co-directors Jim and Susie Miller said the origins of the chorale started with a sad realization — the now-defunct Capitol Kids Choir was failing to attract an audience.

“Our numbers were failing,” said Susie Miller, who directed that choir, which featured elementary and middle school students, with her husband, Jim, serving as the accompanist.

Despite the low numbers, the Capitol was willing to keep the choir going.

However, the Millers came to the conclusion that something needed to be done, so they suggested forming an adult community choir.

The Millers and Capitol Civic Centre Executive Director Matt Schliesman got the ball rolling last year by putting the word out in the media of their intent to form a new choir.

“We thought we’d be lucky to attract 25 people,” Jim Miller said. “We had 90 express interest in the choir.”

While not all 90 people could fit the commitment of weekly rehearsals into their schedules, the Millers eventually ended up with 60 dedicated singers and began rehearsing in September.

“We didn’t have in mind a number of people at all, nor did we have in mind what section they would go into. We just took potluck, which is what a community chorus should be. We didn’t exclude anyone who wanted to come,” Jim Miller said.

The singers run the gamut in both age — from 19 to 91 — and experience, including one singer who holds a degree in opera and others who haven’t sung since high school.

“We have one fellow who has never, ever sung in a choir before,” Jim Miller said.

Having formed the nucleus of the chorus, the next obstacle the Millers had to overcome was finding a rehearsal space.

“We weren’t sure where we were going to practice,” Jim Miller said. “We couldn’t find a room big enough at the Capitol to practice with that many people.”

The Millers, however, have a long history of teaching music in Manitowoc and have many contacts in the music community. Jim Miller taught music at Lincoln High School for 32 years and after retirement also taught at the University of Wisconsin-Manitowoc and Silver Lake College. Susie Miller was a choral instructor at UW-Manitowoc for 26 years.

Eventually, the Millers entered into an agreement with UW-Manitowoc allowing students to receive college credit for participating in the choir. Currently, seven members of the chorale are students in the chorus class at UW-Manitowoc.

In exchange, the chorale found a home in the school’s music department practice room.

The arrangement has been a harmonious one for all involved.

“We not only have (UW-Manitowoc’s) library of music at our disposal, we also have a room to rehearse in, we have the auditorium and a technician to go with it (for concerts),” Jim Miller said.

So far, the chorale has performed concerts at the school and Capitol, along with a show for the Daughters of Isabella at City Limits Bar in Manitowoc.

The group will put on a spring concert at UW-Manitowoc on April 30 and will also perform on May 2 at the Capitol, when they will be the guests of the Lakeshore Wind Ensemble. Additional shows are planned this summer.

The Millers feel some of the chorale’s appeal lies in the eclectic music offerings of their concerts.

“Our goal in choosing repertoire is to try to do something across the board, from every genre,” Susie Miller said.

Chorale members are equally thrilled with the new group. Wally Hermann not only finds the singing pleasurable, he’s also happy to make new friends.

“One of the main things I enjoy is meeting so many new people, and the music is great. I haven’t sung this kind of music in a long, long time,” he said.

The Millers are thrilled with the interest and enthusiasm the community has shown toward the group, and they are looking forward to the future.

“The sky is the limit,” Susie Miller said.

Reach Ann Grote-Pirrung at pirrung@tds.net.

Capitol Civic Centre Community Chorale

For more information on the chorale’s upcoming performances, visit www.cccshows.org.