Albany Chorale to open its season Thursday with ‘Songs of America’

ALBANY — The Albany Chorale will open its 2024-2025 concert season Thursday with its performance of “Songs of America.” The opening concert will be held at Covenant Presbyterian Church starting at 7 p.m.

In this current time of political friction, the common love of music can help direct community focus back to the importance of a love of country, chorale officials said in a news release. “Songs of America” will include a variety of songs that renew the country’s connection to its past, present and future. The selections will include folk songs and hymns by American composers Aaron Copland and Alice Parker. The performance also will include tunes to remind audience members of our country’s history, including the familiar “Home on the Range” and a medley from the Broadway musical “Oklahoma.”

The concert will end with a tribute to the country’s armed forces. All are invited to attend. Admission is donation only, and proceeds from this first concert will fund the chorale’s annual student scholarship.

The Albany Chorale will introduce new Artistic Director Dakota (Cody) Cone, a Moultrie native who has performed with the chorale several times over the last few years. Currently, Cone is a public school music teacher in Moultrie. The season will continue with three additional concerts: the holiday concert Dec. 5; the spring concert, “Songs of Love,” on Feb. 20; and the season finale, “Favorite Show Tunes” on May 1.

Rehearsals for the October concert began in August. The Albany Chorale, which is always seeking new members, typically rehearses about six times before each performance.

“If you like to sing, join us,” Chorale President Brent Goldsmith urged the community. “We have singers at all levels of experience, and like any great gathering, the more the merrier.”

Goldsmith has been with the chorale for three seasons, joining after graduating from college and returning to Albany. He happened to learn of the ensemble unexpectedly. While visiting the local library, he mentioned that he liked to sing, and the librarian suggested he attend a chorale rehearsal. And now he cannot think of anything else he would rather do on Monday evenings.

Goldsmith returns the offer to those in the community who like to sing to attend a rehearsal and give the chorale a try. Rehearsals are Monday evenings, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Covenant Presbyterian, next to Porterfield Methodist Church on Dawson Road.

“We begin rehearsing for our December concert Oct. 7,” he said.

Organized community musical groups in Albany have been around since the 1920s. The Albany Chorale, started as Albany Community Chorus, was officially registered in 1966. Since then, it has continued, season after season, providing choral music, even during COVID, to the Albany area. Goldsmith invites non-singers too.

“If you really don’t think you can sing, still come and be our audience,” he said.

The four scheduled concerts will be on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. at Covenant Presbyterian Church.

“It’s an opportunity to hear what regular, everyday people can do when we come together,” Goldsmith said.

The chorale is dedicating the opening concert to the Memory of Ray Johnson, a former resident of Albany and a long-time member of the Albany Chorale, who passed away last November.

“The highlight of Ray’s retirement years was returning full circle to the music community of Albany and becoming a member of the Albany Chorale,” Johnson’s sister, Mariellen Bateman of Albany, said. “He looked forward to every practice, rehearsal and program.”

Covenant Presbyterian Church is located at  2126 E. Edgewater Road in Albany.

File Photo: Carlton Fletcher